Life is Fringe
by Lt.Hanz
Summary: Strange events are developing in Arcadia Bay, a small town on the west coast of Oregon. Olivia and her team are sent to investigate while Kevin Anderson is doing his best to get through the agonies of daily life at Blackwell Academy. Worlds collide and mysteries are unraveled in this 'Pricefield' themed story and Kevin finds himself caught up in events beyond imagination.
1. Blackwell Academy

**Blackwell Academy**

Listening to Mr. Jefferson prattle on about photography early in the morning was akin to doing your taxes on the tanned hide of a screaming infant. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but it was blatantly evident that the man liked to hear himself speak. The day's topic had long ago been left behind as the 'far too famous for his own good' and 'I'm hip like all of you young kids, I swear' Mr. Jefferson went on and on about obscure artists long dead and the styles that they had allegedly pioneered. His ability to jump from tangent to tangent was a marvel to behold and Kevin was only too sure that his own talents in tangent hopping were being upstaged. After a moment of reflection, he decided that worse things had happened. Being upstaged in this regard wasn't the end of the world after all.

Possessing such 'impressive' skills did of course have drawbacks. The mind-numbing boredom that Kevin felt was clearly not just his own, since the rest of the class was showing glaring symptoms of the disease's inexorable spread. Across the room, the drama queen Victoria Chase was texting (because _of course_ she was texting) and Mr. Jefferson was so caught up with himself that he simply hadn't noticed yet.

The nearby Kate Marsh was either lost in thought or staring at the floor, which did seem somewhat odd. She was usually attentive and eager and ready to overachieve. Her composure today certainly confirmed Kevin's suspicions that he wasn't alone in thinking their illustrious photography professor was overrated. Despite the lack of necessity for further proof on the subject, he also noticed that Max Caulfield, the only girl in the class that could possibly adore Mr. Jefferson more than Victoria, was asleep.

She was sitting upright in her chair in the back of the class, and oddly enough her head was still steady and perfectly straight even though it was wavering from side to side ever so slightly but her eyes were closed… or were they? Upon closer inspection Kevin noticed that her eyes were just slightly open and the apparent motion of her head was due to slightly elevated breathing. After a quick survey of the rest of the room, it became quickly apparent that no one else had noticed Max's state.

Her arms lay flat on her desk, hands balled tightly into fists poked out from underneath her light-gray hoodie. Either imagined or perceived, it seemed as if occasional tremors were pulsating through the petite girl's frame. Before Kevin could continue his observation any further his attention was wrenched away as one of his all too famous headaches unmercifully tore its way through his head.

The migraine spawned out of nothingness and manifested itself instantly into near blinding agony. The breath that he hadn't known he had been holding wheezed out of his lungs so feebly that no one seemed to notice. Lights in the room burned themselves into his now straining retinas, the metallic taste of blood plagued his now parched throat, and his nostrils were overwhelmed by a horrifyingly putrid scent. The very air around him seemed to be adding to his suffering, smothering him relentlessly. Just as Kevin thought he was going to pass out from the intensity of the sensation, it was over.

Blinking and in a state of near shock, he recovered from perhaps the strangest experience of his life. His head buzzed slightly from the memory of the trauma, but the intense pain that had ravaged him was suddenly gone. Involuntarily stifling a yawn, Kevin shook his head to cleanse his tormented mind of the ordeal. Never before had one of his legendary migraines struck so fiercely, overwhelmed him so entirely, exhausted itself so immediately. If the event, seemingly impossible to imagine, hadn't been so fresh in his mind, he would have doubted his sanity. Taking stock of the room to quickly ensure that not a single soul noticed whatever the hell had just happened to him, he caught Max's stare piercing into him… _shit._

Nope, just his imagination! Or was it wishful thinking? Max was indeed awake, but had merely been looking around the room at the exact moment he had been, and their eyes had briefly met. Of course, the chances of the introverted photo-nerd noticing him at that exact moment were next to zero. Taking in her surroundings, Max seemed to be recovering from whatever had been afflicting her a moment ago.

Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Max brushed her neck-length brown hair back behind her ear as she picked up a photograph from her polaroid camera, scrutinizing it heavily. Perhaps nothing out of the ordinary had been happening with Max, and Kevin's super-migraine had simply put him on edge. Max seemed to be stressing over her photograph, as she was known to do, but his classmates' self-consciousness toward her own artwork wasn't his biggest problem.

Looking down at his desk, he regarded his own work with a cold and calculating gaze. The problem was that Mr. Jefferson, intolerable bastard that he was, had insisted that every student in his photography class submit a photograph into this pretentious contest. And of course, it was called "Everyday Heroes," what else would it be called? The contest itself wasn't the issue, though. The issue was that Kevin was such a perfectionist with his own photography that in the past two weeks he had taken dozens of photographs and only three had seemed worthy. Now, naturally, they all seemed ridiculous. Having spent most of last night sorting through possibilities, he had narrowed his possible entry down to the final three failures that sat before him.

 _Calling them failures is a little harsh I suppose,_ he thought as he scrutinized each one in turn. In fact, if he was honest with himself, and he usually was, each picture was near perfection. But near perfection was not perfection. Each picture had its own merits, counteracted by minor flaws which ruined any chance of being put forth to enter any contest, never mind winning one. Sighing heavily, he looked down upon his creations like a harsh, unfeeling god.

The first was perfectly framed. In the foreground, a variety of colorful flowers encircled an adorable golden retriever that sat center frame, its head cocked slightly to the left. Behind man's best friend was a serene pond that reflected the lush and plentiful forest on the opposite bank. A fantastic photo by any means, positively _crawling_ with living color, but at the end of the day it was just a picture of a dog with some flowers. Lame.

The second picture was, embarrassingly enough, a selfie. In some delusional moment, he had snapped a quick close up shot of his own face while he was walking through the woods just before sunset, and somehow the shot had turned out great. His head had been offset to the left of the picture and cast in shadow due to the falling light, and in the top right of the picture the falling sun could be seen piercing through the sparse, almost barren, fall trees. The contrast of colors was very eye catching, and the lighting made him look quite dashing, he had to admit. Still, it was just a selfie… something he'd rather not share, with anyone. Also lame.

And finally, his third picture was a super-close-up shot of a tiny bee maneuvering its way through the insides of a light purple flower. The background was just slightly out of focus, which drew the eye right to the center where the miniature bee sat enshrined by the flower's petals. The bright and clear colors of the bee contrasted starkly against the smooth colors of the flower and yet the contrast was still appealing. The insects' translucent wings and its delicate features only added to the aura of the picture. However, in the end the picture was simply a flower with a bloody bee in it.

He loved the pictures for their qualities, and yet he hated the pictures for their simplicities. In the end, when push came to shove, he would just select one at random and hand it into Mr. Jefferson and be done with it. But what about winning? Wouldn't his best chance for winning such a contest be achieved from the best picture? The problem with that line of thinking was that he had no idea which one was best. In fact, he knew with certainty that the best picture had yet to be taken and was not present, so he would have to do with the mediocrity that lay before him. _Great_. Lost in contemplation, the meanderings of Mr. Jefferson slowly faded away.

A sudden mechanical noise snapped Kevin out of his deep thought only to realize that the culprit was none other than Max. She had just snapped a selfie with her super retro polaroid camera. _Goddamnit Max! You fool! Now Mr. Jefferson is going to regale us about Robert Cornelius or daguerreotypes_ _because you just had to snap one of your "famous" selfies right in the middle of class!_ And sure enough, Mr. Jefferson, never one to miss an opportunity such as this, launched into a tangent of that very subject. Max however looked ever more uncomfortable now that she was the center of attention.

Kevin couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl as Mr. Jefferson threw a question at her and not only did Max fumble the answer, but the ever ready to impress Victoria pounced. Not only did she answer the question perfectly, but even went the extra mile and added vaguely necessary details just to show that she was a know it all. While Mr. Jefferson was praising her for her superb answer, it seemed that Victoria was wasting no time at all rubbing the salt into Max's fresh wounds with a backhanded comment of some sort. The whole exchange made Kevin think of a remark made by Ernest Hemingway: "A bitch is a bitch is a bitch."

Before Mr. Jefferson could jump into another tangent, the class bell rang and freed the students from their seats. As the students made their escapes at varied speeds, their teacher managed to get some parting remarks in just because he liked the sound of his own voice. As Kevin gathered up his effects into his sturdy black laptop bag, he noticed that the nearby Kate had yet to move from her seat, as if she barely noticed the outside world at all.

In Kevin's short time at Blackwell he had talked with Kate more than any of the other girls in school and probably knew more about her than the rest put together. That being said, it didn't mean all that much, since almost everyday they would exchange small talk and he would always find a new way to trip over his words. She was kind and sweet and always in a good mood, which contrasted starkly with her recent behavior.

"Hey Kate!" As if she had just woken up from a troubling dream, Kate turned to look at Kevin with the ghastliest expression that he had ever seen on her face. Immediately regretting his decision, he nearly tripped over his own tongue as he lamely asked how she was doing today. Kate's polite response was a poor excuse for a lie when she replied that she was fine. Her eyes were sunken and red and she had abandoned her usual ruler straight posture for a depressing slouch, shoulders slumped in obvious defeat.

Thankfully, he was spared saying anything more as Kate's attention was drawn to Max who had approached as invisibly as an introverted, slightly self-conscious geek is known to do in social situations. As Kevin departed he noticed the two girls talking quietly. Despite his impeccable hearing, ears were rendered useless by the verbal diarrhea match that Mr. Jefferson and Victoria were having at the front of the class. She was probably hitting on their not-so-old yet not-so-young teacher again in her not-so-subtle way while his teacher did his best to fend her off. Kevin quickly decided that he didn't care, so he made his way out into the hall.

The lockers on either side of the hallway were broken up by doors to classrooms and the hallway was cluttered with students traveling to and from their respective classes. Being a small school, it was never overly crowded, which was one of the reasons Kevin had chosen to travel all the way to Oregon to attend Blackwell Academy. He hated crowds, so the small town that supported the school didn't bother him either even if sometimes the area felt like a forgotten speck of humanity.

This didn't bother him too often, but at times he felt very homesick and even regretted attending a remote yet prestigious school just because he liked taking pictures. It had seemed like an excellent idea especially since the incredibly famous Mark Jefferson had left New York just to teach at the school. Shaking his head and letting out an exasperated sigh, Kevin easily maneuvered his way through his peers. Returning to his dorm seemed like a solid plan since he didn't have another class for quite some time.

Most students would spend their time outside in small isolated groups between classes but in his few weeks at the school he really hadn't made any friends. This wasn't to say that people weren't friendly with him because things were quite the opposite. He only had to put up with mild flak from the more aggressive students due to his Canadian nationality. His accent was readily apparent and he spoke clearly and concisely unlike most of the other students. Oftentimes he was accused of 'speaking like an adult,' but then he had never picked up on the local slang of his hometown of Sarnia Ontario and would probably never assimilate into the local culture of Arcadia Bay, either.

Even though he sometimes begrudged being different, the rest of the time he cherished it. Daily, in an almost semi-conscious manner, he would wear something that identified himself as Canadian. In the beginning, he had always carried his red Roots Canada backpack but due to his infrequent classes he had traded it out for the more professional look of his sturdy black laptop bag. He was, after all, an adult now, so why not look the part?

Today, he was wearing a pair of rugged yet professional looking blue jeans with a black belt and a red plaid button up collared shirt that he left open just so people could see that his white undershirt commemorated Canada's previous winter Olympics participation, which of course was also from his favorite Canadian clothing store: Roots Athletics. Maneuvering through the hallway, he noticed that three of the Jock types were in the process of harassing one of the nerdy kids as they were known to do. The poor kid was pressed up against the lockers and surrounded by the much larger students. Cursing his inability to put names with faces, especially since the three jocks looked eerily identical, Kevin moved closer to intervene.

"Oh come on buds, whatcha' doin picking on the poor guy for, eh?" Kevin didn't always talk like a stereotypical Canadian but he had found that his accent combined with words like 'bud" and 'eh' disarmed most people down here almost immediately. The three Jocks turned and whatever ire had been plaguing them faded instantly when they saw who had disturbed them.

"Yo bros, it's Canada!" Kevin somehow managed to remember that the speaker was Logan, or at least he thought it was, and the name that popped into mind for the slightly overweight nerdy kid was Daniel. Lacking this certainty Kevin decided to leave out names and continue without them. Snapping his attention back to the approaching jock, it seemed that he would have to submit to an overly aggressive high five or an equally overly aggressive fist bump. After submitting to the fist bump that almost knocked him off balance, Kevin continued to de-escalate the situation.

"Daniel is a friend of mine buds, so if there's some problem here…" The two other jocks released the now confirmed Daniel and even had a hint of sheepishness in their eyes. But the biggest surprise was the reaction from Logan, or at least Kevin thought that the jock standing in front of him who seemed to be suffering an existential crisis was Logan.

"No, there's no… We were just… We didn't mean nuthin by it… we're just messing around, bro." As Logan stumbled over his words, both he and the other two jocks kept looking back and forth between Kevin and Daniel.

"We cool, Danny?" Kevin's ability to keep a straight and serious face was being tested to its extremes. He was certain that never in Logan's life had he ever affectionately referred to Daniel in such a way and probably never would again. The new nickname was completely lost on Daniel however, as he stood with his back still pressed up against the lockers where the jocks had left him.

"Yeah… cool," Daniel spoke, finding his voice after a few moments of hesitation. Logan seemed satisfied and enthusiastically nodded his head and turned back to Kevin as if looking for his approval.

"Yo Canada, we're going outside to throw the ball around, you game?"

"I'll be out in a few minutes guys. But keep in mind we Canadians are far more able on the ice than throwing a football around so you might have to give me a few pointers." Despite Kevin's massive lack of experience with football, in both the catching and the throwing departments, he felt it was a good idea to accept Logan's all too predictable peace offering. No such offering was extended to the still petrified Daniel, though, and even if it had been Kevin mused that the chances of him accepting such an offer were close to zero. "And when it finally starts snowing I can teach you guys a thing or two about hockey, eh?"

"Right on!" One of the three jocks exclaimed as they jostled each other back and forth as they made their way around the corner of the hallway towards the school's main entrance. Shaking his head Kevin turned his attention to the now mystified Daniel who was smoothing out his short black hair and adjusting his thick rimmed glasses.

"You ok? Danny?" Daniel grimaced slightly and Kevin cursed himself for using the probably not-so affectionate nickname that had just been bestowed upon the recovering nerd. Making a mental note to avoid such mistakes in the future, Kevin shrugged off his worries. It probably wouldn't be much of a problem due to the fact that the two had barely said two words to each other since the school-year had begun. Daniel tended to stay busy mastering the art of invisibility. Face planted in his sketchbook, he usually succeeded in this endeavor. During one of these moments, Kevin had spied a glance and had discovered, with only a small amount of surprise, that Daniel had quite a talent for sketching.

"Yeah… thanks. How did you manage to scare them off?" Daniel eyed Kevin hesitantly as if he was now in the clutches of an even worse predator. Kevin couldn't help but smile at this. Sure he was about as tall as the massive jocks. At a respectable six-feet, his shoulders were slightly on the broad side and he had a fair amount of leg muscle but the rest of him was mostly skin and bones. Kevin was quite sure that he had gone through his nineteen years of life without being able to intimidate a soul, except for when he was playing hockey… and maybe soccer. He had a competitive nature that was noticeable at times which was probably the only reason why he was even considering attempting Mr. Jefferson's infuriating photo contest.

"Fear had nothing to do with it, Daniel... If I had tried to scare them off, they would have had me up against the lockers right next to you."

"So… how did you do it?" Kevin really had no idea what to tell him.

Ever since day one at Blackwell Academy most people had treated him with an odd mixture of mockery and respect. Rarely did he get called by name, instead he had been immediately given nicknames like 'Canada' and 'Canuck'. Despite the almost constant mockery of how he talked and pronounced certain words, he was treated with a great deal of respect. Girls thought it was adorable how he was consistently polite, and the guys probably didn't want to lose faith with the girls, so they mostly treated him well. People weren't exactly trying to be his friend or anything but it certainly could have been worse.

"Honestly, I have no idea but I'm glad I could help." Kevin shrugged and leaned up against the lockers with Daniel, seeing him relax by the second. After a few moments of crowd watching, the awkward pair's attention was caught by the mousy Max Caulfield as she warily made her way through the light crowd. Kevin rarely saw Max without her earbud headphones in when she shuffled her way through the halls, her camera bag bouncing lightly behind her.

He wondered if they had any music tastes in common - then immediately doubted that Max would be interested in Scandinavian metal like Nightwish or Sabaton. It was probably for the best that Max hid behind her music. The upper echelon of Blackwell's female population always seemed to find time to make rather rude comments as she walked by. Unless, of course, they knew that Kevin was within earshot then they seemed to show some amount of restraint. Unfortunately for the girls, Kevin's hearing was rather impeccable so he easily saw through the thin veil of decency.

"So we're friends now, eh?" Daniel didn't seem to notice the question, his gaze tracking Max as she made her way past. Trying a different approach, Kevin lightly and playfully elbowed Daniel and leaned over, conspiratorially mentioning how cute Max was. Daniel slowly nodded to show his affirmation but Kevin hadn't needed him to respond, he saw it on the boy's face as plain as day.

"It would be… I would love to draw… I mean... I would like to ask her if I could sketch her sometime… she would be a great new muse." Daniel seemed almost enchanted and Kevin wondered what he had meant by 'new'. Mentally shrugging, he gingerly patted Daniel on the back as he made ready to leave. Daniel continued to speak, entirely unaware of Kevin's presence. "Rachel Amber was so… perfect… it's so sad…" His words trailed off as he slowly remembered himself. As if coming out of a trance, he visibly checked himself. Wrenching his gaze away from the retreating Max, he turned to face Kevin once again as he spoke.

"Ask her sometime then, just try not to be too creepy about it and I'm sure she'd be reasonable." And with those parting words and Daniel beaming with something akin to confidence, Kevin set off towards his locker. _Rachel Amber… she's the missing girl whose face is plastered all over the school… it's weird how everyone seems to know her but no one seems to know what happened to her._ Sinking deeper into his own thoughts he slowly made his way through his peers to his locker.

While he was on his way he couldn't shake the sensation that he had missed something important about Max. As he fiddled with the combination lock to his locker, his mind went back to Max's slightly paler than usual freckled face. Failing his first attempt, he also recalled her walk being slightly more timid and her posture more rigid than it usually was as well.

Letting out a long and rather audible sigh, he let go of his combination lock after failing to open it for a second time. A quick scan of the area led Kevin to deduce that Max had made a beeline for the women's bathroom. Due to her recent composure, it was quite possible she was feeling the effects of bullying as well today. His suspicions didn't sit well with him, not at all. Forcibly clearing his mind, he went back to his locker, grimly determined not to fail a third time at a task that should be so simple. Especially since he knew his combination to his locker by heart… or did he?

Before the truth of the matter at hand could be ascertained, a loud crack jolted him upright. Without even thinking he spun around, moving away from his locker his heightened senses desperately sought out the source of the disruption.

 _A gunshot, that was a gunshot, do guns sound like that?_

As his heart pounded and the frozen fingers of fear began to claw at his chest, a voice inside of his head demanded immediate action. But before the battle within his mind could be resolved, a blast of hot searing pain crashed through his head.

Staggering in shock, his vision went blurry. He felt control flooding from his muscles as he was pitched forward. Choking back the urge to vomit, the metallic taste of blood caught somewhere in the back of his throat, he fought with all his might to stay conscious. The dreaded feeling of weightlessness overtook him as his body lost the fight and the ringing in his ears intensified to an alarming level. Wanting to cry out but unable to do so, Kevin put one last herculean effort to regain control of his body and with a snap the world changed right before his eyes.


	2. Event Horizon

**Event Horizon**

The world snapped back into focus and all the horrific sensations vanished. Under normal circumstances this would have pleased him greatly, but the situation was far from normal. Kevin was as far from any positive emotion as he could possibly be. He had just been in front of his locker, and yet despite that irrefutable fact, he was now sitting at his desk back in Mr. Jefferson's photography class. Blinking in disbelief, he looked up from his three photographs, quickly scanning the room. His stomach twisted itself into a knot as he was overcome by a suffocating feeling of Déjà vu, his teacher repeating the very same lecture, word for word, as he had mere minutes before.

 _This can't be real, what the hell is happening? I was just here! Everything is happening just like it did before!_ Kevin's mind raced as it attempted to make sense of the situation, but his thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when Victoria's phone buzzed from across the room. Kevin would have jumped out of his chair, screaming at the top of his lungs, if something entirely unexpected hadn't happened at that exact moment. Max dropped her camera.

 _That didn't happen before! I would have heard it crash to the floor!_ Unable to tear his gaze from Max, Kevin watched as she looked down upon the remains of her now smashed polaroid camera. While he watched her, he noticed a massive shift in her body language. Max had seemed on the verge of panic within moments of the death of her beloved camera, but now she seemed resolute and eerily composed. Max slowly raised her left arm as if reaching out to something in front of her. Kevin flinched as his ears began to ring and the piercing pain in his head came back, as if summoned by her movements.

The world around him slowed to a crawl, a suffocating sensation overwhelming him. The slower everything moved the worse the sensation felt. Bracing himself against the pain, he watched in horror as the world froze in place and the smashed pieces of Max's camera put themselves back together. The now reformed polaroid camera shot into the air and slid itself back onto Max's desk. In an instant, the world sped back up, returning to normal. In that ghastly surreal moment, it felt as if every molecule of air had been physically torn from his body. Staring at the now fixed camera it was again sitting motionless on Max's desk right where it had been before…

Victoria's phone buzzed. The camera was not knocked off Max's desk. It did not shatter into several pieces on the floor. Max did not reach out in front of her but instead sat at her desk, entirely satisfied. Kevin sat motionless at his desk, unable to move, unable to form a single thought save for one: _Max can control time_. For what felt like an eternity, Max just sat there doing nothing as if lost in a trance.

Kevin nearly recoiled in terror when Max jerked forward and snatched up her camera. Spinning it around she snapped a quick selfie. Mr. Jefferson took notice and interrupted his own lecture to dive into the exact same lecture he had before. Kevin quickly scanned the room and found, to his horror, that everyone else was going about their business as they had before. _No one else thinks this is odd, no one else remembers this, what the hell?_ As he desperately searched the faces of his peers for even the slightest hint that they too were witnessing history repeat itself, Mr. Jefferson asked Max the exact same question that he had before. But instead of fumbling the question as she had done previously, Max urgently asked if she could go the bathroom.

 _The gunshot!_ _Something happened in the girl's bathroom! Something happened to Max in the girl's bathroom!_ Unfortunately for Max, Mr. Jefferson was extremely unsatisfied that she appeared to be dodging the question and demanded that she stay after class. Kevin watched as an intense worry clouded Max's face and within a few moments her left arm reached out in front of her as if she were grasping for something just out of reach. Time rewound itself right before Kevin's eyes as the storm of agony assaulted him just as it had done before.

As the world came back together he groaned with exhaustion. _Max can control time and for some reason I'm not affected by it, but every time she rewinds time I feel like my brain is tearing itself apart. What the fuck happened in that bathroom? How long has Max had these powers?_ Kevin took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth as quietly as he could, trying desperately to calm himself. _Relax. Think logically. If Max can reverse time, and if every time she does so I am unaffected, I would have fucking noticed this happen before, right?_ As he debated the logic of the insanity that was taking place, Mr. Jefferson again asked Max the dreaded question. Bracing himself, Kevin watched Max out of the corner of his eye with morbid curiosity.

This time, to Kevin's immense relief, Max recalled the answer that Victoria gave Mr. Jefferson in what felt like a lifetime ago. She regurgitated it for the whole class to hear. Even though her answer was delivered with a slightly trembling voice and much less showmanship than Victoria, Mr. Jefferson ate it up all the same. Scoffing, Victoria cast a sidelong glance at Max and crossed her arms in apparent frustration. _She has no idea that Max almost quite literally stole those words right out of her mouth… but from the past… or from the future? No stop thinking about it… stop fucking thinking about it!_

Another deep breath, in through the mouth and out through the nose. Kevin refused to allow the improbabilities of time travel and what were supposed to be theoretical physics drive him crazy. Perhaps he was crazy? _No this is real, this is really happening._ Just to be sure he frantically rolled up his sleeve and pinched his now exposed flesh. Hard. Nothing happened, except for the obvious result, his arm now hurt because he had pinched it. _Stupid._

Before he could cause any more harm to himself, the bell rang aloud and Max shot out of her seat and hastened towards the door. But to Kevin's horror, she froze in place right in front of him. For a single dreadful moment, he thought that she was going to turn towards him and look him straight in the eye. Thankfully, she resumed her quick pace, shifting her direction towards the still immobile Kate. And just as before, Max and Kate had their quiet conversation and Victoria and Mr. Jefferson had a much louder one. Only this time Kevin sat unmoving in his seat, frozen in terror. After a few parting words, Max made her way with all possible haste toward the door and exited the classroom.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kevin shot to his feet and hastily gathered his effects. With newfound resolve, he was determined to find out what the hell was going to happen in the girls' bathroom. _Or had happened…? Don't think about it!_ But as Kevin prepared to take flight and chase down Max, his gaze came to rest on Kate. His heart almost tore itself in half as he looked down at an obviously grief-stricken girl.

As he looked down upon her immobile form, he realized that he now had a second chance to talk to her in a more helpful, decidedly less awkward manner. _Or just not talk to her at all and avoid another painfully embarrassing situation._ Kevin looked towards the door and then back at Kate as he wrestled with the conundrum that he had been presented with. _Fuck it!_

Kate visibly jumped as he enthusiastically flopped down into the chair next to her.

"Hey Kate!" Caught off guard, Kate forgot her troubles for a crucial moment and Kevin's excited tone and playful attitude struck home.

"Oh, hey Kevin!" She even smiled, infected by his uncharacteristically manic enthusiasm. However, the precious smile quickly began to fade as if something powerful was dragging her back towards the darkness.

"You called me Kevin?" It was his turn to be caught off guard. He was certain that someone had called him by name at least once during his short stay at Blackwell, but he had become so used to not being called by name that it was quite a shock to hear someone speak it.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Kate had good reason to be confused, but this seemed almost a positive to him, confusion apparently kept the darkness at bay.

"Yeah, that's my name, but I've grown so used to everyone calling me 'Canada' and stuff..." Kate giggled lightly, seemingly her old self, but not quite.

"What's going on with you today? I've never seen this side of you, you're usually so quiet and composed… and shy…" _Well shy around you… fuck that means she's noticed…_

"Oh, you know, just having one of those days… But hey Kate, we should hang out sometime?"

"Umm okay, yeah sure." And there it was again, regardless of his efforts, the darkness was clawing its way back, casting a shadow over Kate's life. The jewel of a smile faded as her eyes lost some of the brightness that shone from them moments before. But despite all this, she still agreed to his proposal that had come entirely out of left field. This was good, because cheering Kate up wasn't the reason he had been forcibly dragged back in time. He still had to catch up to Max and find out what the hell was going on. Unless this was the reason… _Don't think about it!_

"Neat! But hey I gotta run, so I'll catch you later, Kate." As he got up to leave, he watched Kate revert to the dark and depressed girl she had been a few moments ago. It happened with such suddenness that the small golden cross that hung around her neck swayed back and forth like a pendulum. _Don't let life get you down, Kate, hang in there_ … Glad that he had kept his Hallmark-card thoughts to himself, he felt with a burning certainty that he needed to find Max.

Abandoning his usual measured pace, Kevin walked with urgency as he maneuvered his way through the school's hallway. Entirely focused on his mission, he walked right by Logan and his two jock friends as they pushed Daniel up against the lockers in the exact same manner as they had done before. _God damnit!_

Intervening was the right thing to do but he felt as if he didn't have the time to spare to go through the whole song and dance as he had before. And as easy as it would be to walk on by, Kevin figured that if he didn't intervene there could be possible repercussions with time because he was changing what he had done before. _Wait… I already changed what I did before by talking to Kate…_ _just don't think about it!_

"Hey buds! Why are yah bothering my buddy Danny, eh?" Aiming for a more abridged version of the confrontation, Kevin hurried along the fist-bump and despite the increased ferocity of the action, he kept his balance this time. Logan awkwardly made his apologies, and Daniel awkwardly accepted them, and before the Jocks could make their next move, Kevin shocked them all when he brought up his interest in playing some football with them outside. This time however, he unfortunately had to accept a very aggressive high-five from one of the other jocks as the trio made their way outside. With his right hand still stinging from the impact, Kevin placed it on Daniel's shoulder and amazed the still stunned boy with a few parting words.

"Don't be afraid to do what you do best. Reach out to people and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised." Turning away from Daniel, Kevin finally spied his destination: the girls' bathroom. Max had to be inside already due to how long it had taken him to get to where he was. Then again, he may not have much to worry about as he remembered that if Max was indeed inside, as he suspected, then she had arrived far earlier than she had previously. Not knowing what all that meant he came across another problem.

 _What the hell am I supposed to do now? It's not like I can just walk in…_

The thought had barely formed itself within his mind when, to his surprise, Nathan-fucking-Prescott walked brazenly up to the girls' bathroom and without a shred of decency, opened the door, and walked in. _Well maybe I can just walk in if I was a rich self-entitled basket case._ There were rumors that Nathan's massively wealthy family pretty much owned Blackwell Academy and vast amounts of the real estate of Arcadia Bay. Kevin hadn't liked Nathan from the first moment that he had met him.

Victoria was a spoiled rich kid, just like Nathan, but she had the sense enough not to act like an unhinged sociopath. Sure, she wasn't always the most pleasant person to be around but Nathan was damaged goods and it showed. Unsure of what to do next, Kevin felt a growing sense of dread from his inaction building deep down within his stomach. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kevin threw his sensibilities out the window. His determined march, however, was interrupted by an unexpected interloper, a girl whom he had never seen before. Not once.

If one word could possibly describe the girl who was before him, it would have been 'punk'. Her bright blue hair was just long enough to poke out in several places from underneath her, black beanie. A small leather jacket clung to the girl's skinny frame, which was unzipped to reveal a tight white tank top and a necklace that hung loosely around her neck. What looked like three low caliber rifle bullets hung in place of a charm. The girl's blue jeans were somewhat loose, worn and even sported the customary holes and tears. In contrast, her black boots seemed to be well taken care of, despite an odd, barely noticeable, scuff mark.

"Watch where you're going…" But before the mysterious girl could say whatever clever insult she had on the tip of her fierce tongue, Kevin quickly performed a slight, yet exaggerated bow. Masterfully transforming her mounting hostility into confusion.

"Apologies, my lady, I know not how you escaped from my sight, the fault is mine." The girl's mouth twitched slightly as she almost successfully contained a smile, and her posture subconsciously switched from a defensive stance to a far more relaxed position. Despite this, her face remained serious. Alarmingly so.

"Yeah, okay, weirdo, just keep your eyes open next time. You must be hella' stoned to not see a chick with blue hair." After a quick sidelong glance, the girl with blue hair turned and with a self-assured swagger disappeared into the girls' bathroom. _Are you fucking kidding me?_

Kevin regarded the closed door and silently fumed. _Relax, just think this through._ Leaning up against the wall a few feet away from the door, he reflected on the situation. Max was probably inside; however, despite the near certainty of this fact, the only evidence to support this theory had been her actions before time had relapsed. Nathan was also inside and if Max was inside, too, she hadn't reacted to his presence. Which was troubling, due to what it implied.

However, this new girl with the blue hair had just walked in moments ago and not thrown out Nathan or caused any apparent fuss concerning that situation. If the girls' bathroom was anything like its male counterpart, then it was small and only supported four stalls. So, it was indeed possible that since Max had entered first and if she had gone into a stall then Nathan wouldn't have seen her and if he had gone into a stall then this new girl wouldn't have seen him or Max either. The bathroom door for the men's room wasn't exactly thick either so if any commotion was going on behind this door, Kevin should be able to hear it. It all seemed far too convenient to him.

The girl with the blue hair had gone inside shortly after Nathan, so the two had to be related. Right? Perhaps she was his girlfriend or something or even more probable his drug connection. Even though there were rumors about Nathan's family owning almost everything around here, was Nathan really that brazen to have his drug dealer meet him in the girls' bathroom? Maybe. Was that it? Did Max catch Nathan and this girl getting up to no good and a confrontation ensued leading to that gunshot? If this was the case, why in the hell would Max of all people rush back towards such a dicey situation?

Before Kevin could come up with a suitable answer, his thoughts were interrupted by raised voices that were barely audible through the bathroom door. It was hard to tell at first, but after listening carefully for a few moments, he was able to ascertain two distinctly different voices and neither of them were Max's. The girl with the blue hair and Nathan were obviously arguing and from the increasing intensity, the severity of confrontation was quickly escalating. Furthermore, the voices had suddenly gotten much clearer so the pair had to be extremely close to the door.

Having all the information he needed, his mind settled itself. No longer deterred by hesitation, Kevin stormed his way into the girls' bathroom. Directly to his right, Nathan had the girl with the blue hair pressed up against the wall, a gun pressed firmly into her torso. Kevin's sudden entrance caught Nathan's attention and as he turned to face him, so did the gun. Taking advantage of the distraction, the girl struggled with Nathan and before Kevin could move to her aid, the gun went off. The loud crack shocked Kevin's senses: in such a small and enclosed space, the sound was deafening.

His ears still ringing from the violent percussion of the gunshot, Kevin felt it odd that both the girl and Nathan were looking at him so strangely. Feeling numb and cold all over, he also noticed that he was no longer standing but was instead sitting on the floor with his back against one of the closed stalls. Strangely, he was unable to recall having sat down. Feeling weak and light headed, he lowered his head, horrified to discover that his white undershirt was stained red with blood. Shaking with fear, he numbly came to the realization that Nathan had shot him in the stomach.

As his brain failed to process when this had happened, he watched in mounting horror as a small crimson pool of blood formed around him on the cold, hard floor. Wondering to himself why he didn't feel much of anything, the ringing in his ears steadily intensified. Before his muddled mind could contemplate on this new sensation, several more flooded through his already overwhelmed body. Feelings of blinding pain that centered around his stomach spread to his head, matched by overwhelming sensations of weightlessness and vertigo. As the urge to vomit became greater and greater, Kevin realized that he was outside of the girls' bathroom once again.

He would have collapsed if he hadn't already been leaning against the wall. Slowly sliding down to the floor, Kevin shivered in recollection of what had just happened. _Nathan shot me…_ his hands immediately went for his stomach where they found nothing out of the ordinary. Feeling sick, he leaned his head against the wall and pressed his eyes closed. He would have remained like that for the rest of his life, but the fire alarm jolted him upright.

The bathroom door shot open and the girl with the blue hair bolted out into the hallway, hastily making her way to the main exit. As she disappeared into the exodus of students, Nathan stumbled his way out of the bathroom as well. Seeing Nathan sent tremors of burning rage throughout Kevin's body and his hands balled into fists. Nathan stalked away without noticing Kevin standing to the left of the door. One of Blackwell's security guards appeared from around the corner, giving Nathan a glare of suspicion. The mustached man made his way towards the girls' bathroom, casting a sidelong glance at Kevin as he approached. Fearful that he would soon be interrogated concerning the alarm, Kevin paled in grim anticipation. However, Max surprised them both as she hesitantly made her way out of the bathroom.

Snapping out of his stupor, Kevin did his best to avoid making eye contact with anything. Feeling as if the very walls had eyes, he stared fixedly at the floor as he numbly made his way outside. Revitalized somewhat by the beautiful fall weather, a fraction of his strength returned. The sun shone brightly above but a cool breeze kept the temperature in check just enough. However, even with the assistance of the amazing weather, he barely managed to make it over to one of the picnic tables before his weak, trembling legs failed him entirely.

Crossing his arms on the bench, he cradled his heavy head on the table as he tried in vain to collect his thoughts. His back and neck muscles were tight with tension, a slight burning sensation spread from his neck down his spine due to the aggressive stretch. Entirely unaware of the indomitable passage of time, he sat there with head down and tuned out the world. The cool breeze tickled his neck as it picked up in intensity for a fleeting moment.

Exhaling deeply, he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Lifting his head slowly, he fought back the slight dizziness that was still plaguing him. Shielding his eyes, they begrudgingly adjusted to the light. As the world came into focus, he immediately noticed Max as she walked the campus. He almost felt drawn to her. Kevin watched as she traveled from one group of students to the next. Sometimes she even made time to talk to a loner like Daniel who seemed to have recovered from his bullying because, after a quick conversation, Max sat down in front of him as he drew a quick sketch of her.

Despite everything, Kevin smiled to himself for a moment, feeling oddly proud for Daniel for finding the courage to ask Max if he could sketch her. Continuing to watch Max make her rounds to almost every group of students, Kevin shuddered as she rewound time while she was talking to Brooke who was flying her drone around the campus. Blinking, he shook off the sensation only to realize that the experience hadn't affected him nearly as much as it had before.

Either his mind was growing accustomed to the rough experience of time travel or her abilities had a comparatively minor effect on him when she wasn't in close proximity. Kevin mused over this just like he would a mundane, everyday problem. Meanwhile, Max made her way over to the skater kids who were doing their... thing. Max seemed slightly more comfortable with this crowd and remained talking to one of them for quite some time. She even took a couple photos, or more precisely 'action shots', as the skaters practiced their craft. Kevin found himself smiling grimly once again as one of them took a dive on the sidewalk. Max must have been inspired by the misfortune, because she crouched down and angled up a shot.

Max visited a few other students around the front yard of the school using her powers a few more times. Each time she reversed time, it was as if she was working to get the upper hand on a conversation to achieve a desired result. Despite Kevin's hesitancy to experience the pains of her time powers up close again, he was morbidly interested to check out which of his two hypotheses were correct. With this thought barely out of his mind, he had to quickly turn his gaze away from her as she turned towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her hesitate for a moment as she neared him, but she steeled her resolve and quickened her pace.

Wondering what he should do, a sense of panic crept into his chest. He had mere moments to compose himself as she bore down on his refuge. Had the two of them ever spoken before? Thinking back, Kevin was certain that they hadn't. In fact, Max's newfound interest in conversation had probably surprised quite a few people today. The little introvert had never seemed adept with casual conversation.

"Hey, Kevin," Max's voice had a hint of nervousness and wavered just slightly. She stood on the other side of the bench and struggled to meet his eyes. This was all too welcome because he was having difficulty doing the same. "Are you feeling alright?" _Direct and to the point are we, Max?_ _That's new_. As he contemplated on how he should respond, he let out a heavy sigh and decided that there was no harm in being honest.

"Not really, no," responding with visible effort, he did his best not to seem entirely incapable. Max's forced smile faded slightly as she shifted her body with visible discomfort. "Care to join me for a bit?" Kevin had made up his mind and he wanted Max as close as possible. He somehow had to bait her into using her powers to rewind time, it was time to test his hypothesis.

Max nodded, seating herself as far away from him as she could manage. As she sat down, their eyes met for a brief moment and it couldn't have felt more awkward.

 _She probably watched me get shot in the girls' bathroom and I know that she can control time. Not something either of us can talk about without sounding like a lunatic._

"You don't look so good…" Max's voice trailed off as her gaze rested on his stomach for a moment. _Yup she's definitely recalling seeing me laying on the floor covered in my own blood. Funny, so am I._

"I'm just having a weird day…" Smiling to himself Kevin managed to hold Max's gaze for a moment as he carefully watched her for any reaction, "I just keep getting this overwhelming sense of Déjà vu, as if I've done certain things more than once today."

Max's eyes widened and her body tensed like a rabbit sensing a predator. Shifting her anxious gaze away from his, her face became wrought with a intense guilt. _Jesus, okay, stop torturing the poor girl_.

"It _has_ been a super weird day…" If it hadn't been for Kevin's exceptional hearing, he probably wouldn't have been able to make out what she had said.

"You're certainly right about that, I don't think I saw you submit a photo for Mr. Jefferson's contest today. How are you going to win if you don't turn anything in, eh? Everyone knows that you're the best." _Well, except for maybe Victoria…_ Kevin's change of subject brought Max back to reality and she cheered up significantly.

"I kinda… ripped my photo up." _That is not what I expected. Not at all._

"Oh yeah? That unhappy with it, eh?" Max simply nodded. "Ah, well, I can certainly understand that… I might as well trash these as well." As he said this, he pulled out the three pictures that he had been agonizing over earlier. He tossed them dejectedly onto the table that separated them, Max inched closer to examine his work.

"What are you talking about? These are so cool!" Max was a completely different person now that she was in her element. Her love for photography suppressed all of her worries as she examined each picture in turn.

"You really think so? If that's the case, Max, which one should I turn in? Because I probably couldn't decide even if someone pointed a gun at me." Immediately regretting his choice of words, Kevin saw Max's body language change as she obviously recalled a grim scene. Her shoulders slumped as her face paled noticeably. Eyes seemingly focused on something far away, Max handed him back his pictures and he returned them back to his laptop bag. "I just haven't taken the right picture yet, and I'm guessing neither have you."

Max ceased avoiding his gaze and looked straight into his soul. Her piercing stare sent a chill straight down his spine. Max's phone buzzed causing the two of them to jump. The moment had mercifully passed. After checking her phone for a moment, Max hesitated before speaking.

"Hey, I have to get going... but we should talk more later?"

"Certainly, I think I'm feeling well enough to make it to my dorm." As Kevin attempted to stand he felt a new sensation of dizziness flood through him and as he tried unsuccessfully to steady himself, he collapsed.

As he lay on the ground, he was only vaguely aware of his peers who had gathered around him. His head felt odd and when he touched the side of his head with his hand he winced in pain, his hand came back wet with blood. He must have slammed his head against the bench when he fell. The world became hazier as an intense sharp pain dug its way through his mind.

He didn't need to see the world around him freeze, then quickly rewind: the loud ringing in his ears and the overwhelming sense of vertigo he felt told him what had happened. He most certainly wasn't getting used to suffering the effects of Max altering time. The pain he felt this time was almost unbearable. The sheer intensity of the sensation was perhaps the worst yet.

The instant in which the world regained its cohesion, Kevin found himself sitting across from Max as she hunched over his photographs. Despite his best efforts, his hands reflexively shot to his pounding head as he doubled over in blinding pain, gasping loudly.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Max half shouted as she discarded his photographs and scrambled over to his side of the table.

"It's okay… it's just a headache…" Even though the pain was slowly subsiding Kevin spoke through clenched teeth as he struggled to breath. Even through the fog of pain, he was keenly aware of Max leaning over him, a small, delicate hand firmly on his shoulder.

"I don't know... I think I should get some help or-"

Before Max could finish her sentence, he cut her off perhaps a bit sharper than he had intended. "No. just help me to my dorm… please."

Despite Max's obvious reluctance to his plan, she helped him stand and supported his weight surprisingly well despite her small frame. The pair made their way across the campus towards the dormitories in silence. With each small step, Kevin recovered more and more. Not letting on to his improved state, he began to develop a plan. Due to his plotting, Kevin failed to notice that Victoria and two of her friends were lounging on the steps blocking the entrance to the dormitories.

If Max had been alone, there would certainly have been trouble. However, when the trio saw the now struggling Max and the beleaguered Kevin, they shot to their feet without hesitation. Courtney and Taylor nearly fell over themselves trying to help Max carry him through the heavy door that Victoria opened for them.

Kevin cast a quick glance at Max, she seemed utterly bewildered, her face red with embarrassment. After a cacophony of well wishes and a suffocating blanket of worry, Max and Kevin stumbled into his dorm room. Feeling vastly improved but still worryingly light-headed, Kevin collapsed onto his bed with a thump. Max hovered like a worried hen, asking him if he needed anything.

"What I need, Max, is to thank you," waving away his thanks Max's face flushed with further embarrassment but Kevin held up his hand to interrupt her hasty objections, "for intervening when Nathan shot me." At this Max froze in place, her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes widened with shock.

"Y-you remember that?" Her words were quiet and soft, her eyes locked on his.

"I'm finding it quite difficult to forget," he admitted, still remembering the horrific scene with frightening clarity. "But I also remember you breaking your camera in class. I remember Mr. Jefferson asking you to stay after class _and_ I remember you using the very response Victoria used to answer his question." Luckily for Max, Kevin had a very comfy chair on the opposite side of his room from his bed. She collapsed in it.

"You remember everything?" She gasped, shaking her head in disbelief, eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah and I had to save poor Daniel from being bullied twice because of you." Kevin's joke fell flat on Max as she shook her head in disbelief. An uncomfortable silence took hold of the room as they stared at each other. But fortunately, Max's phone buzzed in her pocket, startling the pair once more. She looked at her phone for a moment and then back at him, visibly grateful for the distraction.

"I guess you know that I have something I need to take care of too… and that I can…" Still obviously uncomfortable with what she was capable of doing, the words stuck in her throat.

"And I guess it's super painful for you?" She looked horrified at this realization, her shoulders slumping, face darkening in shame.

"Only when you're really close to me. It seems to hurt less the further away you are... but it doesn't last long." To prove this Kevin jumped to his feet and only had to steady himself slightly due to a slight head rush. "The main issue is that I'm still shaking off that feeling of getting shot… seriously though… thanks." Max exhaled with relief as she stood, though with much less enthusiasm.

"You were just trying to help. Nathan was going to shoot that girl! Before I could figure out how to stop it you came running in. But I smashed the fire alarm. You know the rest, I guess. But I seriously have to go. We definitely need to talk more about this though. Maybe we can figure out what's going on… together?" It seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off of Max's chest. It must have been a relief to have someone to talk to about her powers. Kevin was probably the only person who would believe her because of his seemingly unique resistance to them.

"My thoughts exactly. I'll be here when you're done doing whatever it is that you need to do. Just keep the time warping heroics to a minimum, please."

Max nodded and smiled awkwardly as she left his room. After a few minutes of standing alone he let out a deep, refreshing sigh. Satisfied with the state of the world for the moment, he flopped back onto his bed.

Somehow, they would figure out what was going on and together, perhaps, they could do something about it. As he lay there feeling the tension of the day bleeding away, he wondered what he would do with Max's powers and became slightly miffed that all he could do with his 'powers' was suffer the effects of hers. _Fucking lame._


	3. Renascence

**Renascence**

Kevin awoke with a start and took stock of his empty room as he scanned his surroundings for the disturbance that had interrupted his nap. A soft knock at his door revealed itself to be the culprit as he shook himself awake. Dragging himself out of bed, he shook his head once more as he opened his door. Max stood there, timid as ever. Encouraged by his invitation, she meekly shuffled inside.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were sleeping." Kevin waved off her apology and then found himself stifling a yawn. Stretching aggressively and noisily, Max seemed to relax a little as she giggled at his odd display. "You sound like a bear. I guess you're feeling better?" Nodding, he sat back down on his bed as Max explored his room. His walls were covered in movie and television posters, all of which had been painstakingly and immaculately aligned. Everything was perfectly centered, and it would damn well stay that way, thank-you-very-much.

Immediately to the left of the door was his super comfy dark brown chair which Max was already familiar with, so she passed on by, investigating his dresser. Atop his wooden dresser were his Gundam Wing models that he had put together and painted. He had carefully arrayed them in a particular formation, so when Max reached out to touch one, he winced, but despite her prodding everything stayed in order.

Max took a step back and grabbed her polaroid camera from her bag and snapped a quick shot of the models. Absentmindedly shaking the photo dry, she moved onto his DVD and CD towers. _That is a pretty neat shot, especially with the matching Gundam Wing poster behind the models… damn I'm good._ As Kevin congratulated himself, Max bent down for a closer look at his movie selection and after a quick inspection, she turned around and was all smiles.

" _Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within_ is like one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever made, nice choice!" Kevin raised his eyebrows at this. It was indeed a good movie and was massively underrated, but as Max noticed the several Battlestar Galactica posters around the room she quickly realized her mistake.

"Uh, Battlestar Galactica?" Kevin made a sweeping gesture to indicate his love for the franchise. Max giggled a little and turned to investigate his vastly overstocked bookshelf. Aside from his massive collection of science fiction novels, Max also found a fair amount of philosophy and historical fiction.

"That's a TV show, you goof, not a movie," she said playfully and Kevin shrugged as if the difference was only a minor detail that hadn't bothered him at all, nor had it made his point any less relevant. As she moved over for a closer look at his desk, Kevin wondered if she would notice just how awesome his laptop was. It was a custom designed gaming laptop that was probably more powerful than it needed to be. Also, on his desk, were his top of the line Sennheiser headphones, but Max clearly failed to notice the impressive tech that lay before her.

 _Ah well, at least Warren is able to notice relics of awesomeness when he sees them. Funny though, I thought Max would have been a closet gamer since he's so into her._

Mentally shrugging, Kevin noticed that she was now inspecting his thirty-six-inch flat screen tv that he had mounted on the wall, just above and behind where his laptop was. Getting all of his stuff into his dorm room and then organizing it in a sane manner had been a chore, but Kevin had eventually decided on mounting his television behind his laptop for two reasons. First, it was a great spot for him to watch movies while relaxing in his super comfy bed. Second, when he was at his computer, he could utilize the television as a second screen when necessary. Due to the fact that Kevin spent most of his time either in bed or at his computer, the placement worked out perfectly.

The only issue was that the position of the television prevented cooperative split-screen gaming on his Xbox-One, but Warren had his own console in his room, which was set up with company in mind, unlike Kevin's dorm. Kevin had noticed that about many of the dorms at Blackwell, many of them had couches or several chairs as if people expected to have other people in their dorms at all times. As Max peered into his closet, which was barely accessible from between the foot of his bed and his desk, he realized that Max was only the second person to enter his dorm room. The first girl to boot, unless Warren had a deep dark secret. _Warren was way less nosy about it too… is this a girl thing, or is this a Max thing?_

Chuckling to himself, he caught Max's attention as she finished her survey of his room. She gave him an inquisitive look, obviously and understandably wondering what he had found so amusing. After assuring her that he was not, in fact, laughing at her, he asked if she approved of his room. Nodding she pointed at his nightstand where several stacks of photographs had caught her undivided attention.

"How do you print those?" She inquired, looking around his room quickly to make sure she hadn't missed a photo printer during her inspection. She had. Motioning underneath his bed, Kevin drew her attention downward.

"I've got my printer under there… it wouldn't fit anywhere else. I've also got a fridge down there too, believe it or not." Max smiled, showing that she understood the struggle of finding space for everything in a dorm room. Like most of his peers, his bed was raised several feet off of the floor, creating much needed storage space underneath.

While the pair smiled at one another, their eyes met and Max's smile quickly soured. She nervously looked away. Her body language shifted, and Max went from seemingly carefree to vulnerable in a matter of seconds.

"Max, what's wrong?" Kevin asked, bracing himself for an answer that he knew involved him in some way.

"So... Victoria has been telling everyone about me helping you to your room… she's made sure that everyone knows that I stayed here for a while…" So that was it. Victoria had finally managed to ensnare him in 'Blackwell Bullshit,' as he liked to call it. She and her pawns had uncharacteristically gone out of their way to assist him not long ago, only to drive a knife right into his back. Kevin had managed to stay free of the drama that was constantly flying around the school, but now it seemed that Victoria, the drama-queen of Blackwell, had finally ensnared him in her web like some kind of evil spider-demon.

"Ah… well... worse things have happened, I suppose." Max simply nodded at this so Kevin tried a different approach. "I mean it actually works out in my favor… I think the girls here were starting to think I was a little... gay." Smiling, Max seemed to recover slightly, but not completely. Something was still bothering her.

"But at any rate, we better clear it up with Warren before he's out for my blood. Good thing you're on your way to return his flash-drive — he might not have heard yet." Max's jaw dropped as her face flushed bright red, her eyes widening slightly.

"How did you know?" She nearly shouted, perhaps louder than she had meant to. Kevin didn't take any offense though.

"Well, firstly, Warren is pretty much the only person I actually talk to here, so I know how much he likes you. Secondly, I've been hounding him for that blasted movie hoard for a couple days now, and _he_ told me I could take a gander once he got it back from you. And third, and this is the most important part, he told me he was expecting to get it back from you today... around about this time." Max relaxed slightly but her face was still quite flushed so he decided that he would give her a friendly warning about quite possibly another surprise. "Oh, Warren's going to be asking you to see a movie this weekend so be ready for that. You didn't hear that from me."

"Thanks, Sherlock." Despite Kevin's ability to read Max like an open book, she had somehow managed to contain her reaction about Warren's upcoming invitation. _Well done, Max, well done._

"Anytime, Watson. So, about these crazy time powers that you have… any thoughts?" Barely had Kevin asked his question and Max was already shaking her head soberly as she met his gaze once more.

"Any thoughts on how you're able to remember everything… and why it hurts you so much?" At this, her face softened slightly, some of the color draining from her face.

"Because I'm awesome?" Kevin offered as he shrugged, almost indifferently. "Either way, we'd better get that flash drive to Warren before he comes looking for it."

"We?" Max was so easy to catch off guard, it almost took away the fun of messing with her. Almost. _You're far too cute for your own good Max, no wonder Warren is more or less obsessed with you._

"Yeah, we're clearly linked by this time travel bullocks, so we'd better stick together if we ever want to figure out what's going on," Max thought on his words for a moment and then nodded, but unfortunately for her, Kevin couldn't restrain himself. "And besides, how am I going to keep this rumor going if we're not seen together?" If they had been closer together, Kevin was certain that when Max spun around to face him she would have shoved him. Luckily for him, their distance allowed her time to see the goofy expression plastered on his face. After a moment of hesitation, she broke out laughing.

Covering her mouth with one hand and steadying herself against the door with the other, she giggled. Kevin watched the tension ease itself out of her frail form. As she recovered, she seemed to stand taller, her face brighter. Having no trouble meeting his eyes, Kevin felt as if he was looking at a completely different Max. She motioned for him to follow and as she reached to open his door he put a staying hand on her shoulder. As she turned to face him, he felt a pang of remorse as he asked her one final question.

"Max, is there anything else about this time travel stuff that you want to tell me?"

Max's face darkened and she withdrew physically as well as mentally. Her eyes clouded slightly as she turned away to look down at the floor. Shaking her head, she replied with a soft 'no' and quickly opened his door, not looking back to see if he was following her. Sighing heavily, Kevin followed her out into the hall as he contemplated her reaction.

 _Still not telling me something? You're far too easy to read, Max. Let's hope it's not anything that I need to know, because for better or worse we seem to be in this together._ As he followed Max through the halls, his thoughts turned against him once again. _Real smooth Kevin, real fucking smooth. Way to cheer her up, then crush her spirits in the same damned minute._

Walking side by side, the pair made their way across campus in total silence. Max might as well have had her headphones on. She seemed as if she existed in an entirely separate reality. Perhaps she did? As far as Kevin understood, there were a couple competing theories when it came to time travel. Technically speaking, that was what Max was doing by rewinding time. What if each time she made a correction the previous timeline continued on unabated and an alternate reality was created?

As Kevin thought more and more, he realized how way over their heads this all could be. Everything on the subject of time travel was purely theoretical, so even if they were able to consume all of the information the world of science had to offer on the subject, they could still get absolutely nowhere. Feeling overwhelmed, he decided to focus on his surroundings instead of the madness that was breaking out within his own mind.

After taking everything in, he regretted his decision to stick near Max. It was readily apparent that he and Max were drawing less than discrete attention from more than a few of their peers. He especially noticed the difference in the way the female population was regarding him. _Damn you Victoria. How dare you manipulate others to cover up your own insecurities._

As they approached the main campus, they heard raised voices ahead of them. Nearing the corner of a red-brick wall, they spied a Blackwell security guard arguing with Kate Marsh. _What the hell? How the hell did Kate upset a security guard?_

"This doesn't seem right…what should we do?" Mas asked hastily. _She's right, Kate is probably the least likely person here to cause trouble. It looks like he's being a proper bastard too..._ "I feel like I should take a picture of him harassing her but shouldn't we intervene as well?" Kevin nodded thoughtfully, needing only a moment to decide.

"We're doing both. You take the picture while I go see what the hell is going on…" Max nodded, quickly removing her camera from her bag and lined up a shot. Consciously making sure not to block Max's line of sight, Kevin maneuvered to intervene. Raising his voice so he could be heard as he approached, he called out to the Kate. "Excuse me, my lady, but is this man bothering you?"

"Hey you, this is official business. Get lost!" The security guard growled back, answering before Kate could find her voice.

Kevin ignored this and continued to make his way toward Kate, putting on a bewildered look.

"Forgive me, good sir, I would certainly not wish to interfere in official Blackwell Security business but this looks more like harassment to me, and I must add that I would be ashamed to call myself a gentleman if I did not rise to this lady's defense." Kevin put on an exaggerated tone when he said 'official Blackwell Security business,' but adopted a much more serious tone afterwards.

"Now listen, you little punk, you're in enough trouble already. Beat it. Now — and I'll forget your disrespect." The security guard must have figured that Kevin would have run off after such a threat, because he turned his attention back to Kate, who was slowly inching away from him.

As Kevin reached Kate, he wrapped his right arm around her waist protectively. Reacting instantly to his presence, he felt her fold herself into him. He could feel her shaking slightly and even though Kevin wasn't an expert on such things her body felt warmer than it should have. Suddenly feeling more than slightly awkward by their closeness, he took a moment to recover.

"You deaf, son? Get lost!"

"No." Kevin put every effort into making his voice as vehement as possible. His one-word response growled out of his mouth, dripping with verbal acid. He locked onto the security guards' gaze and held it firmly, unconsciously holding Kate tighter. Kate stopped shaking, he felt her straighten in defiance as she fed off of his confidence. The security guard's face went red, and he was about to say something else, but was cut off when Max rushed into the fray.

"Didn't you hear him? Why don't you stop harassing students and go do your job?" Max's tone not only stunned the now outnumbered security guard, but it had even sent a momentary shock through Kevin as well. Max came to a stop on Kate's other side and crossed her arms as she too glared defiantly at the head of security. Unsure of himself for a moment, the man was caught off guard and seemed to be having trouble finding the right words. After hesitating for a few more seconds, he comically resorted to the 'this isn't over' line that was so overused by archetypal Hollywood bad guys.

"It had better be over, fascist…" Kevin mumbled under his breath as he watched the man depart. He was suddenly keenly aware that Kate had placed her head against his shoulder, obviously comforted by his stoic performance. Max, clearly aware of the awkwardness that he felt, cast him a quick and mischievous smile before turning to Kate.

"Are you okay?" Suddenly aware of herself Kate straightened and slowly moved out of Kevin's embrace. He released her, surprised to discover that his awkward feelings were instantly replaced by a sudden emptiness. It was entirely all too clear to him that he missed the warmth of Kate's closeness. Struggling against the gale of emotions roiling within him, he did his best to keep the disappointment from showing on his face.

"Yes, thank you guys so much. I think you really scared him!" Kate looked from Max to Kevin and seemed like her old self again. "You're such a gentleman, Kevin. Thanks so much for standing up for me." Kate's body language indicated she was going to move into hug him in thanks but something seemed to change her mind. _Damnit!_

"We're glad we could help." Kevin offered lamely and Max nodded. _I really hope Max didn't pick up on that. If she was able to notice Kate going in for that hug then she certainly caught on to me preparing to receive it... like a total loser. Why do I get this unbalanced whenever Kate is around? And why was that asshole giving her shit? Kate never does anything wrong…_ Hoping that the rising heat in his face did not mean that he was blushing, he tried to stop thinking about how cute Kate was.

Kate's dirty-blonde hair was always done up in a neat bun. She dressed conservatively, unlike the rest of the female population. An open black cardigan revealed a white, collared dress shirt. A light-gray pencil skirt covered the upper portions of her legs, cutting off just above her knees. Ankle length white socks and a basic kind of white-gray pair of shoes finished off her outfit. He never saw her without the small, almost humble, golden cross hanging from her neck.

"We should all have tea sometime, but I really have to go. I'll see you guys later, and thanks again!" As Kevin watched Kate depart, he knew that if the offer was genuine he wouldn't be able to help himself from saying yes, despite the fact that he didn't even drink tea. Max poked him in the side of his ribs and his thoughts snapped back to the present.

"What?" He asked defensively as Max stared at him teasingly.

"I saw that." As she said this, she turned around and continued towards the main campus on their quest to return Warren's flash drive.

"Saw what?" Responding innocently, he fell in behind Max. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he glared laser beams into the back of Max's head.

"Oh nothing." She continued to tease. _Damnit, she noticed. You're slipping Kevin… get a hold of yourself._ It wasn't the end of the world that Max had noticed, but Kevin preferred to keep his emotions to himself. Especially _those_ kinds of emotions. Before he could be teased more he decided to change the subject.

"So, did you get a good shot?" Max slowed her pace until they were walking side by side as she searched her bag.

"You bet, I got a good one. But I also got this…" Confused for a moment, he accepted the photograph offered to him. His face must have revealed more emotion than he had intended to, because she giggled slightly. The picture wasn't of the security guard harassing Kate. He and Kate were the centerpiece. They were angled so that they could both be seen perfectly in the shot, with Kevin slightly in front and to the left while Kate was slightly behind and to the right. His face in the picture was stoic and defiant and, despite the situation, Kate seemed calm and at ease as she stood next to him, his arm wrapped around her protectively. He had to admit it was an excellent shot but sensing further teasing from Max, he attempted to deflect her focus.

"You should enter this into the 'everyday heroes' contest, Max." But try as he might, Max was persistent.

"Why? Is it because you want to be Kate's everyday hero?" An exasperated sigh escaped Kevin's lips while Max giggled happily as her blow struck home despite his attempted parry.

"Max, I'm serious."

Her face sobered as she considered the possibility, and just as Kevin thought he was free and clear her face became mischievous once again.

"So am I. I could rewind time and let you hold her again if you want. You just have to admit that you liked it." Kevin glared at her despite the appealing nature of her jest, but Max only giggled louder. _I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?_

As they approached the parking lot, Kevin spied Warren off in the distance and quietly maneuvered away from Max by veering right as she proceeded unawares across the parking lot. Warren was leaning against what appeared to be his 'new' car, an older looking blue hatchback of a make and model that Kevin wasn't immediately familiar with. Max was still heading toward Warren who seemed to be stirring as he noticed her approaching.

Turning away, Kevin approached his white Mazda MX-6 that he had reversed into a space in the back-right corner of the parking lot. His father, knowing the trouble that teenage boys are likely to get into, had imparted some wisdom on his son upon leaving his hometown. _Always be prepared for a quick exit,_ and indeed he was. All he had to do was hop into his car, turn the key and turn left and it was a straight shot towards the exit of Blackwell's parking lot. Planning on doing just this, he hastily opened the driver's side door and practically dove inside. Exhaling as he settled in, he rested his head against the back of the hard, semi-comfortable cloth covered seat, lamenting on the situation.

As confident as he may seem to everyone else, he was often plagued by feelings of self-doubt. So far in his short time at Blackwell he had meticulously cultivated an outward appearance that he deemed quite acceptable. Most people respected him and he was never involved in any of the Blackwell bullshit that people like Victoria started, but that all seemed to be changing. He did not like being the center of attention any more than Max did, he just did a far better job at hiding it. To make matters worse, moments ago, he had made an obvious enemy of a security guard, _smooth_.

In a moment of frustration, he found himself ready to strike his steering wheel with his open palms, but he contained himself and settled for another deep sigh as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. Switching on his CD player Kevin was thankful that he had left his Porcupine Tree album in his vehicle for as long as had. The soothing melodies surrounded him as he closed his eyes. As the music washed over him, he desperately tried to think of anything else other than the madness of the day. He failed miserably.

 _If I had rewind powers like Max, I would rewind time and just not get involved in this mess. Who cares if she suddenly has the ability to rewind time and crazy things are going down? You should have just suffered through the headaches and not gotten involved. Your life would be so much simpler right now._ Annoyed by his own cowardly thoughts, Kevin opened his eyes just as someone walked by his car. Feeling a sense of dread overtake him, he recognized Nathan Prescott's red blazer jacket as he quickly made his way over to where Max and Warren were talking.

Nathan dressed just like Victoria did, expensively. His clothes could very well be worth as much Kevin's aging vehicle. Everything was designer brand, probably even tailor made specifically for him. Kevin watched as Nathan lightly but aggressively pushed Warren away from Max and within moments it seemed that hostilities were rising.

Quickly climbing out of his car, Kevin felt the unpleasant memories of being shot by Nathan seep their way through him. His pace quickened as his rage began to build. Meanwhile across the parking lot, the situation escalated as an angry looking Warren tried to intervene between Nathan and Max, only to receive a quick headbutt right to the face. Kevin broke out into a run as he saw Warren go down and Max grapple with Nathan. Nathan had her by the throat but she managed to break free and they both went down.

Just as Kevin was about to intervene, a dirty brown pickup truck, seemingly out of nowhere, squealed to a halt just in front of him. Reacting solely on instinct, he jumped and managed to maneuver his body so his momentum carried him across the hood. As he slid across, he noticed Nathan on top of Warren. As his momentum slowed, Kevin propelled himself off of the hood of the truck.

Kevin came crashing down on Nathan like a vengeful ballistic missile. Luckily for Warren, when Kevin tackled Nathan, he was torn off of him. Even luckier for Kevin, most of the momentum he carried was transferred into Nathan when the two of them hit the pavement.

Nathan wheezed as the air was forced from his lungs. Nathan struggled feebly but Kevin soon had the upper hand and pinned him to the ground. Preparing to strike, Kevin pulled his right arm back and formed a fist. Nathan's eyes went wide with fear.

"You think you're tough? You piece of shit!" Nathan growled as he struggled fiercely against Kevin's attack. Nathan recovered quickly, but Kevin had him. A fire burned deep within Kevin as he loomed over his opponent, burning so bright it shone through his eyes. Nathan went pale with terror.

"You like hitting girls, you son of a bitch?!" Kevin retorted, but before he could release his fury on Nathan, his raised arm was grabbed from behind and he was forcibly torn off of his foe. Struggling as his opportunity for vengeance was stolen from him, Kevin found himself unable to escape the vice grip he was held in.

"Calm down there, son. Don't do anything you're going to regret." Barely able to control his rage, Kevin forced himself to stop resisting when he realized that he was in the clutches of a Blackwell security guard. Blinking in surprise, he realized that both the brown pickup truck and Max were nowhere to be seen. Warren was just now picking himself up off the ground with the help of another security guard. As their eyes met, Warren nodded in thanks, one of his eyes already swollen. Lastly and certainly least, Nathan was helped to his feet and Kevin felt himself smile venomously as Nathan refused to look him in the eyes. _You've put the fear in him, so you have… you didn't even have to hit him, good lad._

As Kevin, Warren, and Nathan were escorted back to the school to what he assumed was the principal's office for a stern talking to, he wondered where Max took off to and if she was alright. He also wondered where the hell that brown pickup truck had come from and who the hell had been driving it.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, images of the girl with blue hair in the driver's seat flashed through his mind. He must have caught a glimpse of her as he dove over her truck, but had been too focused on the task of putting Nathan down to process it. He stopped in his tracks as he remembered, receiving a not so friendly push from behind, a security guard grumbling at him to keep walking.

 _Who the hell is that girl and why does she keep popping up today?_


	4. Causal Loop

**Causal Loop**

The principal's office had been nothing more than a formality. Kevin suspected that this was mostly due to Nathan's involvement. Blackwell thrived thanks to Nathan's father. No disciplinary action could officially be taken against his son without upsetting the man that fed massive amounts of money into the school and, if rumors were to be believed, the rest of Arcadia Bay as well.

So, even with the school's strict stance on fighting, Kevin and Warren received metaphorical slaps to their wrists. They couldn't be punished for being involved in a scuffle with Nathan due to the fact that Nathan couldn't officially be involved in a scuffle with them, even though he had.

Not that Kevin was particularly focused on such trivial matters at the moment. His armored column was charging ahead at full speed, devouring his focus. With a dozen heavy tanks leading the way, they smashed through his enemies' ill defended front line. In just a few seconds his tanks pushed through the defenders, leaving burning wrecks of armored personnel carriers and fleeing, scattered infantry in their wake.

The center objective was now his, armored personnel carriers unloading his own infantry as they rushed to secure it. Once captured, he would be able to dig in and fortify the position against an inevitable counter attack. But that was what his enemy would expect, so his armored column continued on unabated.

It didn't take too long for Kevin to realize that this is exactly what his opponent had wanted him to do. As his forces continued to press forward, his flanking scouts detected strong enemy forces moving to encircle his now exposed armored column. Equal numbers of opposing tanks were poised to strike from both sides, and if he didn't act soon, he would almost certainly lose the bulk of his forces. Smiling, Kevin called in his squadrons of gunships that had been waiting to join the fight.

Using his controller to issue orders to the first, and his headset to command the second, he simultaneously and sloppily issued a retreat to his armored forces to put on a display of panic. Kevin's enemy took the bait and the opposing ground forces charged. Just as the enemy tanks moved out of range of their air cover, Kevin's helicopters struck. A flurry of missiles struck home, heavily damaging the leading elements of the enemy force. As the gunships closed in, they unleashed their heavy auto-cannons, shredding the heavy armor of their targets.

Realizing the danger too late, his enemy attempted to maneuver his anti-air batteries into position. However, from across the field and well out of danger, Kevin's artillery suppressed them with well-aimed barrages, forcing them back. Reduced in numbers and staggering from the aerial assault, his opponent's tanks attempted a retreat but Kevin's own tank forces had reformed and mercilessly finished them off.

Arriving too late and in inferior numbers, his opponent's gunships came into view, but realizing that the situation was hopeless, they turned to retreat. Seeing that defeat was now inevitable as Kevin's forces pushed forward, his opponent retreated all of his remaining forces, conceding the match.

Removing his headset, Kevin leaned back in his chair and performed a victory stretch. As the statistics for the match compiled he noticed gleefully that his world-wide rank had now climbed into the top one-hundred players.A sudden knock at the door banished thoughts of playing another game. Putting down his controller, Kevin got up from his chair, calling out to the visitor.

As Warren entered, his eyes drifted toward Kevin's television screen to ascertain what his fellow gamer had been playing.

"Ah, _Endwar_. Are you the best in the world yet?" He closed the door and proceeded to drag Kevin's super comfy brown chair closer to Kevin's computer, as was his custom. Kevin sat back down in his desk chair and spun it around to face his now seated friend.

"Broke into the top one hundred just now." Warren nodded and crossed his arms as his face grew serious. Clearly something other than video games was on his mind today. Before Warren could begin to speak his mind, Kevin threw up a staying hand. Finding himself blocked in by Warren's positioning of the chair, he threw himself onto his bed and nimbly rolled off and landed at a crouch on the other side of Warren's obstacle.

Ducking even lower, he reached underneath his bed and before Warren could ask what he was doing Kevin handed him an ice-cold bottle of beer. Kevin retrieved one for himself and carefully climbed over the bed with much less enthusiasm to avoid shaking his bottle's precious contents. As Kevin returned to his seat, he noticed that Warren was still looking uncertainly at the beer that he held in his hand.

"It's for your eye bud, but you can drink it if you want. It's Canadian so it doesn't taste like urine." Kevin popped the top off of his bottle using a lighter that he kept on his person almost specifically for opening beer bottles. He still hadn't made a serious effort to acquire an actual bottle opener. Taking a less than liberal swig from his beer, he placed the bottle on an awaiting coaster at his desk. Turning his attention back towards Warren, he smiled as his friend gingerly placed his own bottle against his eye, which had already turned a shade of bluish-black.

"Thanks. You are just full of surprises. No one would ever expect mild mannered Kevin Anderson to have a stash of booze under his bed. And thanks for backing me up against Nathan… he's such an ass." Kevin nodded at Warren's assessment of Nathan. Recalling the altercation, he felt his face flush with color as his body tensed. A sensation of rage brewed deep within his chest as he reached for his beer, but he cut his movement short as he decided against it. "I don't think I've ever heard you swear before dude, you went all John Woo on him and raged, pretty badass. Kinda' scary though."

"Yeah… I saw him going after Max and I just lost it, ya' know?" Warren nodded but shifted uncomfortably. Removing the beer from his eye, he regarded it for a moment and after a second of hesitation, he used a bottle opener attached to his keychain to remove the top. _See even Warren has a bloody bottle opener. I really need to pull my life together and get one... soon._ As he grumbled to himself, Warren nursed his beer and nodded approvingly to Kevin despite his grave expression.

"I wanted to talk to you about that… Word is that you and Max hooked up or something. Normally, I'd congratulate you, like a good friend, but dude you knew that I was going after Max. Not cool, not cool at all." Kevin could see the anger of betrayal seeping out of his friend, despite his relaxed posture.

"Warren, and this is me being completely honest with you, absolutely nothing happened between Max and I. I had this killer migraine and she helped me back to my dorm. She stayed for a bit to see if I was ok and that's all that happened. Don't buy into Victoria's bullshit, trust me, nothing happened." Kevin watched as his friends' posture slumped slightly as he recoiled in bewilderment.

"So, nothing happened? Oh man…" Shaking his head, Warren drained some more of his beer and to his credit, Kevin had expected him to choke on such a large swig, but he handled it like a champ. "I totally freaked and didn't even think about asking Max to the movies… but when I saw Brooke later I asked her instead… I mean she said yes and everything so that's cool but-."

"Yeah, nothing happened, you know I wouldn't pull a dick move like that on you, bud. You're like my only friend here. But that's cool that Brooke said yes! I'm sorry that this bullshit stopped you from asking Max, maybe it's for the better. Brooke's totally obsessed with you anyways." At this Warren's mouth dropped open and he froze in place.

"Wait… she is?" Kevin nodded in response as a sly smile crept across Warren's face. "Really?"

"Dude, how have you not noticed?" Warren shook his head slowly, his shaggy mass of brown hair tumbling this way and that. Kevin shrugged at his friend's inattentiveness. The geeky, insanely smart Brooke, had been smitten with Warren for ages. It was obvious. The two were so much alike: smart, science nerds, socially awkward, the list went on. Warren had probably been so caught up with his crush on Max to even notice poor Brooke and her drone.

"And besides I've got my eyes on Kate anyways… just ask Max." _Idiot._ Kevin cursed himself for revealing his possible interest in Kate just so Warren, the gullible fool that he was, could get over the rumors that were being spread around about him and Max. _Am I interested in her like that… I might be… or I might just be an idiot. Either way… probably an idiot. Kate's cute right? But she's super religious and leads that abstinence campaign that everyone gives her flak about… would she even reciprocate my attraction?_

"Oh yeah? I mean she is cute but I didn't think she was your type… wait what am I saying? She is totally your type! But dude, she's been acting really strange lately, do you think it has to do with that video?" Kevin felt his eyebrows shoot up as he unconsciously leaned backwards in his chair, defensively crossing his arms.

"What video?" He asked, feeling a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room. Warren's eyes went wide with surprise. He nearly spit out the mouthful of beer that he had just consumed.

"Wait, you haven't seen it?" Kevin shook his head as he suppressed feelings of annoyance as he waited patiently for Warren to get to the point. "Dude she is like all over a bunch of guys at this Vortex Club party. Like she's making out with guys like hardcore… dude check it." Warren had apparently brought up the video on his phone because he had it in hand and was leaning over to show him.

The illustrious and infamous Vortex Club, a school-promoted club helmed by Victoria Chase and Nathan Prescott. Kevin rarely paid the notices around campus concerning their gatherings any attention. If he was going to party, he'd sooner find himself among Warren's crowd: geeks and nerds. The simple fact that Kate had been at a Vortex Club party at all nearly floored him.

"That doesn't sound like Kate, not in the slightest," grumbled Kevin, he was beginning to feel slightly ill thinking about it. The sensation confounded him, did he really like Kate that much?

Warren shrugged and continued to hold out his phone, despite Kevin's obvious reluctance. He eventually accepted the phone and against his better judgement he hit play and immediately felt unclean. He watched as Kate made out with a number of guys that he didn't recognize. Feeling slightly ill, he had a sinking feeling that something more than party euphoria was unfolding before his eyes. It was only because of this that he focused intently on Kate's body language and her eyes during the rare moments that they were open.

Seemingly in a daze, it appeared to Kevin that Kate was being passed around from guy to guy instead of moving to them. Her movements were uncoordinated, and her balance was certainly off. This could be attributed to over-drinking but he had a sinking feeling that something more was going on. Her eyes were glossy and unfocused, it seemed as if she wasn't ever really looking at anything in particular.

Every movement Kate made was most certainly reactionary, even the kisses that she was dragged into were half-hearted but not forced, they just happened. Possessing no passion, each kiss seemed more mechanical than anything as if Kate's brain was running on autopilot. The video suddenly ended and Kevin remained staring at the screen of Warren's phone, dazed by what he had just witnessed.

"It's always the quiet girls, am I right?"

Snapping out of his reverie, Kevin noticed that Warren had said 'am I right' as if it had been a single, nearly incoherent word. Staring in disbelief, he noted that his friend's beer was completely empty. Warren was quite noticeably intoxicated. Regarding his own barely touched beer for a moment, he handed Warren his phone back, who nearly dropped it due to his lack of coordination.

"Whoa, that hit me fast!" slurred Warren.

"Come on buddy let's get you back to your room so you can lay down… or something. A bit of lightweight, eh?"

Warren gratefully accepted Kevin's assistance as he walked him back to his nearby dorm.

Helping Warren to his bed, Kevin noticed that that, during this maneuver, Warren dropped his phone. In the time it took for Kevin to retrieve Warren's phone from the floor, his friend unceremoniously passed out. Still holding his friend's phone, he tapped Warren on the shoulder and was rewarded with no response. Shrugging, Kevin began to place the phone on the nearby nightstand when he froze mid-motion as his ears began to ring softly. He noticed the world imperceptibly shift around him.

 _Damnit, Max._

Realizing that he had no way to get into contact with her to see if she was in any sort of danger, Kevin quickly and shamelessly memorized her number from Warren's phone and plugged it into his own. Frowning slightly, he noticed that Warren had Kate's number as well. Feeling that he might need to reach out to her at some point, he copied it over, just in case. Casting one last look at his fast-asleep friend, he was glad that things had worked out and Warren hadn't tried to slug him for 'stealing' Max.

As Kevin quietly shut Warren's door, his thoughts went back to Kate. _Kate's mood lately probably means she's been harassed about what happened and she might even know about that video… maybe this is what that security guard was messing with her about._

Shaking his head, he shot a text to Max, walking slowly back to his room. Stopping at his door he looked down the hallway, wondering if he should go and check up on Kate. He wasn't technically allowed to go into the girls' section of the dormitories but that rule was so rarely enforced. Punishments were even rarer. Before he could come to a decision, his phone buzzed in his pocket with a response from Max.

Breathing a sigh of relief as he read her text, he relaxed somewhat. Everything was fine. As he returned his phone to his pocket, a second text cut the motion short and he noted that it was also from Max. _Come meet us at the lighthouse?_ Kevin wondered if the 'us' mentioned in the text was the blue haired girl that Max had escaped with earlier. There was only one way to find out. Quickly responding that he was on his way, he hastily opened his door and went in search of his keys.

Everything in his room was ordered and always had a specific spot. His keys were the exception to this rule. He always seemed to put them in a different spot, no matter how hard he tried to designate a permanent place for them. During his search, he found his wallet and noticed his now no longer ice-cold beer sitting on his desk. Grumbling to himself, he wiped the condensation off of his desk that the coaster failed to catch. _You had one job..._ Popping open one of his two windows, he dumped the beer out.

As he returned the empty bottles to one of the two six packs he had in his tiny fridge, he was shocked to discover his keys sitting all alone underneath his bed. _How the hell did you end up down here?_ Shaking his head, he snatched them up and managed to bang his head on the underside of his bed as he tried to stand up. Rubbing the back of his head as he stood with greater care, he reflected on his clumsiness.

 _Get a grip… you're falling to pieces._

* * *

It had taken some time for Kevin to realize that the best place for him to park was a small parking lot that was very close to the beach. His suspicions were confirmed as he neared the parking lot and he saw the dirty brown pickup truck was the sole occupant. As he reversed his car into a nearby spot, he observed both Max and the mysterious girl with blue hair leaning against the front of the truck.

As he exited and locked his vehicle, the two girls turned to greet him with contradicting expressions. Max's warm smile contrasted sharply with her companion's glacial glare. Nodding to Max, his eyes locked onto the challenging gaze of the blue-haired girl. Max chose to ignore the obvious stare down. She stopped halfway between the two and introduced them to each other as they continued to size up one another.

"Kevin, this is my best friend, Chloe." Despite his best efforts, Kevin tore his eyes away from Chloe to stare at Max in slight surprise. _Best friend? That explains a bit I suppose, but I'm still a little confused._ "And Chloe, this is Kevin, a friend of mine from school." _I suppose that's better than 'some guy from school who is immune to my crazy time powers.'_ When he returned his attention to Chloe, her cold stare morphed into a predatory smirk as she stalked toward him with feline-like aggression _._ The girl with blue hair was now looking at him hungrily, as if he were a meal soon to be devoured.

"So… this is why I've only just heard from you now Max, he's cute." As Chloe said this, she looked him up and down approvingly. Max let out an exasperated sigh as her friend eyed him mischievously.

"It's not like that, Chloe... we're just friends. I already told you why it took me so long to talk to you..." Hearing this, Chloe's smile only widened as she turned towards Max.

"Oh, that means I can have him then?" Chloe was rewarded with yet another exasperated sigh from Max, pleasing her even more.

"Knock it off, Chloe… you'll have to fight Kate Marsh for him if you want him that badly."

 _Wait, she will? Kate likes me?_

Chloe's face went serious just long enough as she responded to Max's comment.

"I can take her." At this she let out a playful laugh and lightly punched Max's shoulder. Regarding Kevin with a less aggressive stance and a friendlier face he felt a slight chill run down his spine. _Don't lie to yourself. You think this is a little hot._ "That was hella' badass the way you slid across my truck and tackled Nathan's punk-ass. Mad props, dude." Chloe approached him and extended her fist, he accepted the fist-bump with ease and received a nod of acceptance from her. "Let's get this show on the road!" And with that the trio was on their way up the trail from the beach to the lighthouse which according to a nearby sign, was a fifteen-minute walk.

Soft waves crashed against the empty beach as a fair wind swayed the clustered trees back and forth. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over Arcadia Bay. 'The Golden Hour,' it was called by photography snobs, but not matter how pretentious of a name you gave it, there was no overstating the magic of the scene. The path was easy at first, but as Chloe led the way and Max followed close behind her, the path slowly steepened.

"So, are you like some kinda' ninja dude?" Chloe was clearly still captivated by his maneuver. She stopped and turned to face him as she waited for his answer, her hands resting lightly on her hips. To be fair, Kevin was just as fascinated about it as she was. _How the hell did I manage that feat of awesomeness anyway? I've never done anything anywhere close to that badass before!_

"I'm Canadian." Kevin responded with a polite smile, as if it explained everything. Clearly not satisfied with his answer, Chloe decided to antagonize Max as punishment.

"Max, quit bullshitting me, I know you're lying about you and Canadian Bruce Lee over here. Word is you two were making out in his dorm for like, ever. It's ok I won't tell anyone. I mean it's not like everyone doesn't already knows since Justin told me all about it. But I'll keep your secret, promise."

"Oh my gosh, how did you hear about that? It's just some stupid bullshit that Victoria is spreading around because she's got it out for me." Max was clearly frustrated with Chloe's antics but her friend put her hands up defensively.

"Whoa, calm down, Max. I was only kidding. I knew those rumors were bullshit the second I saw you look at him. If there was something going on you two would have been all over each other, you know, with your eyes though."

"Hah hah, you're not funny, Chloe." Max groaned as she continued her way up the path.

"He thinks I am." At this, Max turned around to glare at Kevin and the smile that had spread across his face disappeared completely. Laughing at the chaos she was creating, Chloe continued on after Max, leaving Kevin in the rear. The trio continued on for a few minutes in relative silence, giving Kevin time to collect his thoughts. _I wonder if Max has told Chloe about her time powers… probably not… even with the whole 'best friend' status, why would she believe her?_

"Still though, he must hella' be in love with you cause' he came flying out of nowhere to you rescue you." Growing used to Chloe's antics, Kevin decided to play along.

"Well, that and I really don't like Nathan." Max groaned at this, but Chloe burst out laughing as she shot him a conspiratorial smile. "But if you want to talk about 'f _lying out of nowhere',_ I think you take the 'hella' in love with Max cake." Kevin noticed Chloe's face redden slightly as she reacted to the jest. Turning her head away to cover her reaction, Chloe went silent. He smiled at beating the girl at her own game.

"I'm just glad that you two are getting along. I was worried there for a bit." Max must have felt the tension rise when he and Chloe had sized each other up. Chloe was certainly the alpha when it came to things between the two of them, she had obviously perceived him as a threat. But once she had seen that there had been no truth to the rumors concerning her friend and this new guy, she had relaxed considerably.

 _What's the deal here anyway, if these two are supposedly 'best friends,' why have I never seen her before? It's obvious that she doesn't go to our school, she sticks out like a sore thumb. What was it that Max said… it took her awhile to talk to her again or something? Should I even ask? Best not… seems like a sore subject._

Chloe made a dismissive noise but added nothing further. As Max turned to look at him he simply shrugged nonchalantly and pressed on. As the dense forest around them began to thin, their destination was revealed. Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, the lighthouse stood tall and proud. Slowly coming to a stop, Max removed her camera from her bag and snapped a quick shot of the majestic structure.

Chloe moved over to a bench that faced the cliff-edge, a perfect spot to watch the sun go down. She nimbly vaulted over it and plopped herself onto the bench. Within moments, she appeared to be smoking. The light breeze brought the scent over to Kevin, he noted that she most certainly wasn't smoking a cigarette. Enshrined in a golden aura Chloe sat there, gazing out at the open ocean. Taking another drag, she exhaled and the smoke that escaped her mouth diffused beautifully against the picturesque backdrop.

 _Damn that's a nice shot…_ as he thought this he reached instinctively for his laptop bag where his digital camera spent most of its time. His hand found nothing but air and he realized grimly that he had left his laptop bag sitting in the back of his car, but his failure was Max's opportunity. Her trained eye also noticing the near perfect opportunity before her.

Grumbling at his failure and cursing himself for being so careless, he watched as she lined up the shot and waited patiently for Chloe to exhale another burst of smoke. When the moment came, Kevin heard her camera snap and moments later it ejected a scene of captured beauty. Shaking the photo dry absentmindedly, Max turned to face him and smiled warmly. As Max joined her friend on the bench, Chloe cast a quick inquisitive glance back at him and he froze.

"Max, can I borrow your camera for a moment, please?" Hesitating for a second before carefully handing over her polaroid camera, Kevin immediately noticed that this was not the camera that she usually carried. Quickly dismissing the minor detail, he crouched down behind the bench just as Max had before him. Both girls turned to face him. _Damnit!_ Frustrated, he lowered the camera and glared at them.

"What?" Chloe demanded as she noticed his reaction. Moving forward, Kevin began to mold his masterpiece.

"Alright, Chloe, I want you turn a bit to your right and turn your head to look right there, see? Good. Now put your right arm over the backside of the bench… yes perfect. Now Max, scoot on over to Chloe. Come on now you guys are best friends, right? Go on Scoot! There, good! Now slouch down just a bit. No, not so low. Ok, perfect. Now rest your head against Chloe's shoulder and turn your body to the right so I can see the side of your face… yes that's perfect!" Kevin quickly retreated and got back into position and framed up the shot. Hesitating for a moment, he realized that something was missing. "Chloe, put your right arm around Max and I want you to make that face you made when you thought I was Max's new boyfriend. Yeah that one… And Max, stay... just... like... that." Kevin inhaled and then slowly exhaled, but halfway through the breath he stopped and willed his body to freeze. In that exact moment he took the shot.

Feeling triumphant and having no need to look at what could only be perfection, he nearly snatched the photo as the camera spat it out. Shaking the photo as a wave of euphoria washed over him, he grinned as he approached his two subjects who hadn't moved much at all since the camera had released them. They seemed to be ignoring his momentary lapse of mania, which was probably for the best.

"That better have been worth it…" Chloe grumbled as she took a deep drag of her joint and exhaled with clear annoyance. As he approached he took notice of how her arm that was still draped around Max tensed, just slightly. Smiling to himself, Kevin was pleased that he was able to notice such things. Max, however, showed no signs of noticing just how protective her friend was being as he drew close enough to them to show off his handiwork.

"Whoa…" The word escaped Max's mouth softly as she inspected the picture. Needing a better angle, Chloe leaned closer to Max until their heads were mere inches apart.

"Damn, dude…" Chloe's voice trailed off as she was captured by the pure emotion that was emanating from the photograph. Chloe sat on the bench, arm protectively wrapped around her friend as Max appeared to be huddling closer into Chloe's embrace as if seeking comfort or safety. Chloe's face was fixed with a determined, defiant expression. Meanwhile, Max's face radiated security and comfort. A slight breeze that Kevin had failed to account for had grasped a few strands of Max's hair and dragged them across her face ever so slightly.

The sudden intrusion of randomness reminded him that he shouldn't try and control everything when it came to photography. The unplanned gust of wind had added to the shot. The entire scene was enshrined in the soothing golden glow of the setting sun, which could be seen as it was just beginning to vanish off into the horizon. Slowly handing the picture back to Kevin, Max finally noticed the closeness that she and Chloe were sharing and carefully began to disentangle herself from her friend.

Naturally being less subtle than Max, Chloe moved quickly away and took another drag on her nearly spent joint. Coughing lightly, she stood and stretched. Max stood as well and retrieved her camera. As he was about to inquire about her seemingly new camera, he noticed that her face had gone completely blank.

Reacting purely on instinct he managed to catch Max and her camera as her body crumpled to the ground. Chloe cried out and moved to assist and together they carefully laid her down. Chloe knelt down and used her lap to cushion Max's head and gently caressed her friend's head with her hands.

"What the shit just happened?" Panic crept into Chloe's voice. Kevin shook his head as he checked Max's pulse at her wrist, he was surprised to discover that it was quite rapid.

"She just blacked out and fainted-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was overwhelmed with a number of intense sensations. Chloe's further inquiries were muffled by the sound of a howling wind that was clearly not present. The nearby trees swayed slightly, entirely unconcerned. He felt as if he was being blasted by an intense outside force and his body went cold as it registered a sensation that was not unlike pouring rain. Doing his best not to freak Chloe out even further, he attempted to outwardly project a calm appearance and mechanically looked over Max. Somehow, through what sounded like gale-force winds he thought he could hear Max's soft voice but he couldn't quite make out the words.

Suddenly the world returned to normal and Max gasped in shock as she awoke. The strange sensations dissipated entirely, leaving him cold, confused, and terrified.

"Jesus, Max. Are you okay?" Chloe asked hesitantly.

As Max attempted to scramble to her feet Chloe forced her to remain where she was, obviously still worried about her friend.

"Chloe… you're here. I'm back. Oh my Lord. This is real… it's real," Max moaned breathlessly, cradling her head. Despite Chloe's best efforts, Max slowly made her way to her feet. Refusing to give Max even an inch of space, she kept her arms around her friend.

"Max, what's going on? You totally blacked out-" Chloe was nervous and kept frantically looking from Max to Kevin as if seeking an explanation. Kevin was still recovering from his own experience and was getting the sinking feeling that it was directly connected to what had happened to Max.

"I didn't black out… I had another vision… the town is going to get wiped out by a tornado." And there it was. This was what Max had been keeping from him. She didn't just have her time control powers, she was also having prophetic visions of tornadoes. _I wonder if that's what was happening in class when she went all catatonic?_

"Oregon gets about five tornadoes every twenty years. You just zoned." Chloe responded, somewhat confused. Smiling grimly to himself, Kevin figured that he would have been assisting Chloe in being the voice of reason if the circumstances had been different. But they weren't different. Max had some manner of control over time and her experiences in her vision had bled over to him. Somehow. _Fuck this… as if things weren't weird enough..._

"No, no. I saw it, I could actually feel the electricity in the air…" Max was still shaking from the experience, her words were coming out between quick gasps for air as she frantically tried to convey the experience to her friend.

"C'mon take a breath okay?" Chloe was desperately trying to calm her, unconsciously tightening her grip on Max.

"Chloe, I'm not crazy. But there's something else I have to tell you. Something… hardcore." _Shit, here she goes…_ Kevin made a move to stop Max from possibly making an already dicey situation even worse, but he hesitated when he realized it was already too late. Him intervening in any way would just complicate matters further.

"Talk to me, Max." Understandably on edge, Chloe kept glancing at Kevin. She was probably a little freaked out due to how calm he appeared. Max turned towards him as if looking for support and seeing no other alternative, he simply nodded.

"I had this same vision earlier in class… when I came out of it I discovered I could reverse time." _As I thought._ _So, her visions and her powers are connected, but why? How? Shit I'm not supposed to be thinking about this… How can I not though? What the hell is going on?_ Sighing heavily, he cast his troubling thoughts away, dreading their inevitable return. _It's about time I said something..._

"I know how it sounds, Chloe, but Max is telling the truth." Chloe's jaw dropped noticeably as she regarded the two of them in turn.

"Like I said: not crazy," Max added confidently. Seemingly glad that Kevin was there to back her up, Max relaxed but only slightly. It was still going to take a huge effort in convincing the now bewildered Chloe that Max hadn't gone insane.

"But high, right?"

 _Chloe if anyone is high right now it's you… not that it helps the situation any… or maybe it does?_

"Listen to me. How do you think I saved you in the bathroom?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"By reversing time? Yeah, sure," Chloe scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Despite Max's pleading, Chloe was putting up a stiff defense and he couldn't really blame her. Who in their right mind would believe something like this?

"I saw you get shot, Chloe. Saw you actually… die. I was able to go back and hit the fire alarm-" Max cut herself off as she looked back at him. She was clearly remembering his failed attempt at resolving the situation on his own. Even though he was trying his damndest not to think about it, his hand reflexively went to his stomach.

"Okay, I see you're a geek now, Max, a geek with a vivid imagination. But this isn't an anime or a video game. People don't have those powers, you guys." _This would make a crazy sweet video game though and probably an even crazier anime…_

"I don't know what I have… but I have it. And I'm scared shitless," Max admitted.

 _You and me both. This is bullshit._

"You need to get high. We all do. It's been a hella' insane fucking day…" As Chloe's voice trailed off, Kevin started to think that he was already high. Not sure when the breeze had died down, he stared in disbelief as what appeared to be the beginnings of a light snowfall make its way down to the earth.

"What the hell is this?" Chloe was as equally shocked as he was, but she turned accusingly towards him.

"Snowflakes?" Max caught one with an outstretched hand and it melted almost instantly as it made contact with her skin. After a few moments, she too glanced nervously over at him.

"Oh, for fucks sake… sure blame Canada, _eh_? Don't look at me!" Flabbergasted, he shot the pair an incredulous look and crossed his arms. _Oh yeah and my powers allow me to control the weather and I choose to make it snow — because Canada!_

"It's like eighty degrees… how?" Chloe was even more unsure of herself as the snow continued to fall in mute defiance of the current temperature. It was astonishingly quiet now. Kevin could no longer hear the birds, the woods behind them seemed deathly still, even the crashing waves below seemed muted.

"Climate change…" Max suggested and Kevin scoffed at her words. How would climate change create magical snow that didn't melt in the air when it was eighty degrees outside? "Or a storm is coming."

"Guys… start from the beginning… tell me everything," demanded Chloe.

Sighing loudly, he performed a quick, yet thorough scan of their surroundings. Kevin motioned towards the bench and the trio sat down and discussed all of the strange events that had taken place today as the snow, unabated, continued to fall around them.


	5. Arrival

**Arrival**

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're beginning our descent to Oregon International Airport as we speak. Please remain seated throughout the duration of the landing… the time is six thirty-five and it is a pleasant eighty-two degrees down below. Welcome to Oregon and enjoy your stay."

Within moments of this announcement, the plane began its near-smooth descent. Olivia was used to the monotony of air travel, and despite the rare bump here and there each flight was as immemorable as the last.

During this flight, on the other hand, she had almost constantly been on edge and it must have shown. Peter had asked her at least half a dozen times if she was alright and if she was completely honest with herself, she probably wasn't. At random moments of the flight, time appeared to stop and she kept experiencing this overwhelming sense of Déjà vu. But that wasn't possible right?

Everything and everyone seemed quite normal and unperturbed. Wondering if these odd sensations were related to their deployment, Olivia tried to focus on the matter at hand.

Odd atmospheric disturbances localized around the Arcadia Bay area combined with an odd missing person case that had gone cold several months ago had prompted an immediate investigation. Normally this wouldn't have been enough to mobilize the Fringe division of the FBI, but Olivia had had the most peculiar dream earlier that day.

Her vision, to be more precise, had been an all too real first-hand encounter with a massive tornado that devastated a small coastal town. To add to the strangeness of the event, she perceived all this from someone else's point of view. On top of that, there had been this distinct sensation of being watched during this strange occurrence. Luckily, during this vision, whomever she had been experiencing the events through had looked at a newspaper. Olivia's trained eye had noticed two very important details.

The first detail had been the date, which had been the upcoming Friday, four days from now. The second and most troubling detail had taken a small amount of research to discover that the newspaper had been a local publication in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. Not believing in coincidences, Broyles sent them on their way to investigate. Olivia had only recently grown accustomed to the seemingly insane idea of her strange dreams actually being useful leads for investigations. Nowhere else except for the Fringe Division would such things be taken seriously.

"You sure that you're doing okay?" Peter asked again, ducking his head to try to suss out her expression.

Olivia turned to her left to face Peter Bishop and gave him a reassuring smile that he more than likely saw right through. An experienced con-man, Peter was a valuable asset to the Fringe team. Being almost unnaturally intelligent, he also was extremely intuitive when it came to reading the reactions of others. Unfortunately for Olivia, this also meant he usually could see right through her, but he at least had the decency to be polite about it, most of the time.

"Yeah… I'm just wondering if Charlie is going to be happy to see us or not," she responded.

Peter smiled slyly, expertly hiding that he was worried about her. She liked Peter, the pair had become good friends despite the rocky start to their working relationship.

"Knowing Charlie, he'll be glad to see you, but I'm sure under the circumstances he won't be all too pleased that his vacation has been cut short."

Nodding she cast a glance at the oddly quiet Walter Bishop seated in the window seat on the other side of Peter, staring glumly out of the window as the plane steadily descended. Walter was Peter's father and calling him a 'mad scientist' was unfortunately fitting. Having been locked away in Saint Claire's mental hospital, for the right reasons or not, he lost parts of himself and was prone to outbursts. At times, he would lose his way if left alone, and at others, he seemed as if he possessed all of the answers.

Even living with inner demons that he would probably never exorcise, Walter's value to the team was irreplaceable. Olivia had, with Peter's help, rescued Walter from Saint Claire's and now the pair were official consultants for the F.B.I.'s very secretive Fringe Division. It all seemed so long ago, the trio had been on countless grizzly and logic defying cases since then. When Olivia leaned forward to get a better view of Walter, his gaze was lost in a daydream, clouded by his salt-and-pepper eyebrows pulled down into a glum frown.

"Still, it's quite a coincidence that he brought his niece to Oregon for a trip and in less than twenty-four hours, we come flying in to ruin it for them."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Peter? There are no such things as coincidences!" Walter grumbled this so suddenly and with such fierceness that he startled both Peter and Olivia. Despite the fierceness in his voice, he hadn't turned to face them nor had the look on his face changed.

"Walter?" Olivia asked worriedly. As if snapping out of a trance, Walter flinched and cast a furtive glance to his surroundings and straightened in his seat. His eyes focused on her and he managed one of his sad smiles.

"We're almost on the ground, Walter. Look, I know you don't like flying but it's almost over." Peter said soothingly. Walter turned to his son for a moment and looked warmly on him as he always did. There was almost always only one certainty with Walter, he loved his son. Through the good days and the bad, his son was his rock and was perhaps the only thing in the world that kept Walter functioning 'normally'.

"It's not that, Peter… I just don't understand why we couldn't bring Jean," moaned Walter. Olivia couldn't help but smile. Despite his fears on flying and his many other worries, Walter's biggest concern right now was for his pet cow. "What if she misses me?"

"Walter…" Peter had probably been about to say 'Jean is just a cow' as he usually did but he checked himself as he noticed his father's worried look. "Jean is going to be fine, Astrid is looking after her, and we'll be back before you know it." Nodding absentmindedly at Peter's words, Walter turned back to the window.

The trio sat in silence as the plane continued its smooth descent towards the runway. Returning to her thoughts, Olivia wondered what surprises were in store for them in Arcadia Bay. It, of course, could be nothing out of the ordinary at all. However, their cases, no matter how mundane or ordinary they seemed to be, rarely turned out that way. Wondering if the missing person case of Rachel Amber was related to her visions, she turned to Peter to discuss it when at that moment the plane touched down. Jerking in her seat, her thoughts were disrupted as the wheels made contact with the runway.

Walter moaned, the sound barely perceptible over the noise of the plane's engines winding down. As they taxied to their gate, Olivia collected herself and began to mentally prepare for the usual moment of contained madness that was an airport. The engines spooled down to a dull whine and just as it seemed that Walter had nothing more to fear from air travel he gasped loudly. Turning to see what had agitated him this time, Olivia froze before she could open her mouth. Stunned, she looked on as a light snowfall could be seen through the small window.

"A pleasant eighty-two degrees, huh?" Peter grumbled in disbelief.

"Peter, remind me again what I took before we got on this plane." Walter asked his son absentmindedly as he peered with wonder through the plane's window.

"Walter… if you can't remember everything you threw into that elixir, how the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Because right now I am looking at what appears to be snow! And if I need to remind you, this sort of weather is atypical for this area during this time of year. And if it is indeed eighty-two degrees out there, then this should not be happening, so if you would please…"

"Relax, Walter, I can see it too… and from the look on Olivia's face so can she."

"Oh… right…"

"How is this possible?" Olivia asked hastily as she looked from an exasperated Peter to a very glum and yet agitated Walter.

"It's possible because something has disrupted the balance between universes here!" Walter spoke loudly and his commanding voice carried itself easily throughout the cabin. Try as he might, Peter had difficulty calming his father. Walter ranted about the disruption concerning barriers between universes and the consequences being of unprecedented scale. The passengers around them were all too eager to get away from the apparent ranting lunatic. Unfortunately for them, the plane was still Taxiing and everyone was expected to remain seated until the plan came to a halt.

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia noticed a man, who should have still been seated, approaching them from the head of the plane. He was dressed plainly but professionally. Everything about his posture, how he carried himself, and the way he walked screamed military to her. As the all too obvious air marshal approached, she slowly removed her badge from her belt and readied herself for the confrontation.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" The man asked, taking on a somewhat hostile tone. Before Walter could answer in the brusque way that he did to people he knew were inferior to him, Olivia revealed her badge. Visibly stunned, the unfortunate air marshal took an uncertain step backwards, as if to ward off the foreboding evil of being outclassed.

"He's with me." She asserted flatly. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd performed this routine with varying levels of security, medical, and police personnel. There were even times when members of the F.B.I made her commit to the overplayed song and dance. The outmaneuvered air marshal nodded and slowly turned to go as Peter chimed in, as he usually did.

"Sorry about this everyone, but my father seems to have forgotten to take his meds today…"

"That's right, Peter! Once we get off this deathtrap, we will have to find a source for my… medications..." Groaning, Peter let his forehead fall into his awaiting hands. Walter had gone from extremely agitated about quite possibly the end of the world, to being overly excited about the prospect of finding the drugs that he surely didn't need. Certainly not for any experiments he may have to perform. Especially do the fact that he had only managed to bring a limited amount of equipment from his lab back at Harvard.

As the plane made its final approach to the gate, she wondered one more time on what was awaiting them and how aggravated Charlie was going to be on having his first vacation in years cut short.

* * *

"Of all the places Broyles could send you? And he sends you here? Now?" Charlie's voice escalated with each question, his mounting frustration apparent.

They had found Charlie and his niece by two unremarkable black Ford sedans. The vehicles weren't much to look at, but knowing agency vehicles, they had it where it counted. Charlie leaned against one of the vehicles with his arms crossed, his face pinched with annoyance.

Despite his grumpy state, Charlie nonetheless assisted the trio in loading their baggage into the trunks of the awaiting vehicles. The task now complete, he turned to face Olivia, his hands resting on his hips. "If it had been anyone else I would have told Broyles to go to hell." Smiling, she looked at her friend and former partner, watching the tension flood out of him.

"I hope Kimberly isn't too upset about all this?" Olivia asked hopefully. Looking back at the passenger seat of the second vehicle, Charlie located his niece who was glaring right at him. Withering under her glare, Charlie quickly turned away. As his niece met Olivia's eyes, however, her face quickly transformed into a friendly smile and she waved enthusiastically.

"Nah, she's fine… she's always happy to see you, Liv," Charlie responded as if the encounter with his niece had not taken place.

Once everything had been loaded, Olivia climbed into the driver's seat of the lead vehicle as Peter and Walter climbed into the front and rear passenger seats respectively. Charlie and his niece brought up the rear in the second vehicle and they settled themselves into the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Arcadia Bay as the snow fell around them, highlighted by the golden glow of the rapidly setting sun.

* * *

Kevin awoke with a start, his heart racing and pounding in his ears. Gasping for air, he used his blanket to wipe the sweat from his forehead. _A dream… it was just a dream._ And what a dream it had been. Usually his dreams were cohesive and small amounts of sense could be made of them. This dream had been an incomprehensible mess of a nightmare. He had been a prominent figure in his dreams but most of them hadn't made sense. Worse, he hadn't felt like himself. The experience had been so disjointed and scattered, but it had felt so real.

Never being one to put much stock in dreams, and what they were allegedly supposed to mean, he did his best to forget the surreal experience. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid himself of the lurking feelings that his dream meant something. _Great, Max has dreams about tornadoes destroying the town and it starts bloody snowing… and now I am having the weirdest dreams of my life… I hope this isn't all related and I'm just freaking out for no reason._

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone vibrate loudly as it bounced around on his nightstand. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the text was from Max. Apparently, she and Chloe were inviting him out to breakfast at the Two Whales diner in town. His stomach grumbled greedily at the thought, breakfast was its favorite meal of the day. He tapped out a quick reply and offered to drive, which was rewarded with Max's appreciation and an adorable emoji.

Smiling, he groaned as he dragged himself hurriedly out of bed and hoped that the bathroom was empty. He wasn't the biggest fan of sharing a bathroom with a bunch of other guys. Mentally steeling himself for whatever lay ahead of him, he grabbed a fresh pair of jeans, a clean white shirt, and another one of his endless supply of plaid collared shirts. Even though red was his favorite color, he was in more of a green mood today… _it will match my eyes… blargh._

Mentally disgusted with himself for overthinking his outfit, Kevin froze as he reached for his door.

 _I'm going out to breakfast with two cute girls… not just one but two… should I wear something better than my usual?_

 _It's just breakfast you moron stop overthinking it._

As Kevin's thoughts went to war with each other, he made his way down to the bathroom and was relieved to find it empty. Sighing in relief, he quickly made his way to one of the corner showers and did his best to finish before anyone else came in.

* * *

Kevin exited the dormitories through the main entrance and took in the serenity of the morning. The temperature was cool and refreshing after his scalding hot shower. The slight breeze tickled his head, his hair still slightly damp. Song-birds were chirping, and as usual, the squirrels and a few hungry pigeons flocked to Samuel, one of the school's janitors, for their breakfast. Samuel was certainly a strange character, but he seemed to love animals. So, no matter how awkward he was, Kevin liked him all the same.

Taking a deep refreshing breath of the sweet crisp air, he cleansed himself of all of the troublesome thoughts that were lurking deep within his mind. Unfortunately, the moment was brief and fleeting. A sudden headache, accompanied by the usual ringing in his ears and staggering pain, entirely ruined the moment. The punishing experience was mercifully brief.

While he recovered, he noticed Max off to his left side by one of the trees that dotted the open area in front of the dorms. She was talking to Taylor, of all people, in a seemingly civil manner. _Good for Max for becoming a social butterfly… I just wish that she didn't have to use her damned powers all the time for simple conversations… What a pain…_

Shaking off the experience, he approached the two girls just as they were saying their goodbyes. As Max turned to face him, her face became awash with guilt.

"Sorry…" Putting up a hand to wave off Max's concerns, he put on his best 'I wasn't just about to pass out from all that pain' face.

"Relax, Max, it's fine… don't worry yourself too much." His deception worked surprisingly well because she relaxed tremendously. The pair fell into stride with one-another as they began their journey to the parking lot. But with each step, Kevin noticed his companion's mood deteriorate as her posture slackened, her face becoming shadowed with gloom. "Something on your mind, Max?"

She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it as they approached the front of the main campus. Following her gaze, he noticed Nathan and the head of security by the front steps adjacent to the road. The pair seemed to be having a heated discussion but were too far off for him to catch what about. Keeping their distance, Max and Kevin quickened their pace towards the parking lot, both eager not to catch attention from either of the arguing pair.

As they reached his car in the parking lot, Kevin bolted ahead of Max so he would reach the passenger side door before her. Hastily unlocking the door, he opened it, holding it before the slightly bewildered, blushing Max. She meekly thanked him, unable to meet his eyes and slowly stepped into the vehicle. Once he had closed her door, he made his way over to the driver's side feeling equally awkward and foolish about his chivalric display.

Once inside his vehicle, he quickly inserted his key into the ignition, shifted the transmission into first gear and depressed the clutch in a series of rapid movements. Somewhere in this flurry of movement he must have habitually and absentmindedly turned on his stereo because as he maneuvered his vehicle out of the parking lot the soothing melodies of Porcupine Tree played in the background. Even though it seemed that Max was enjoying the music that she had probably never heard before, Kevin turned the volume down slightly as he negotiated with the light, early-morning traffic.

"So, Max, what's on your mind? Hit me."

Hesitating again, she seemed to be struggling against her own thoughts, as if they made her entirely too uncomfortable. But as she leaned back into her seat, her body language seemingly relaxed as she made up her mind.

"I… spoke with Kate today when I returned a book she had loaned me. I'm worried about her." Max spoke softly and hesitantly, but as he lowered the volume of the music even more, he noticed her voice harden and grow steadier. "I know I can help her… I just wish I knew how."

"The video?" It hadn't really been necessary to bring it up but the words escaped his mouth before his brain had had a chance to process and filter a better response.

"The way you say it… it sounds like you've watched it?" She had taken an almost accusing tone, and he could feel the tension inside the vehicle grow.

"Yeah, I watched it." Feeling that the tension was reaching a breaking point he quickly countered before she could assault him with accusations. "How am I supposed to assess and analyze a problem without a familiarity of the facts? I didn't want to watch it, and I certainly didn't enjoy it but it was a necessary evil that had to be undertaken." Without even looking at Max, he sensed her relax, but her voice still held a certain amount of iciness.

"And?"

"She was drugged. No doubt in my mind. Somebody drugged her with roofies or ketamine… you know that stuff they give to cats at vets to calm them down? It could have also been GHB I suppose but knowing which doesn't really matter. What I am more concerned about, is what was done to her after that video… People don't just dose you with that type of shit for fun… There's usually a reason."

As he spoke, Kevin felt a darkness brew inside of him. He knew with a cold and calculated certainty that if he had witnessed the events of the video first hand, he would have hurt people, a lot of people. Being the type of person who preferred to fight with words and wits rather than fists, the thoughts startled him. But before he could process the mixture of feelings roiling inside of him, Max brought his attention outward again.

Max looked at him askance with her eyebrow raised. "You certainly know a lot about this kind of stuff… But, yeah, Kate and I both think she was drugged too." Since his knowledge on the subject matter had set her off balance, he felt compelled to explain himself.

"Look, Max, I research random stuff all the time. I could tell you everything you would ever want to know about neutron stars, how caffeine works or was discovered, how alcohol affects the body on a biological level, how—"

"Neutron stars?" Max asked in obvious confusion, her earlier discomfort forgotten. But before he could dive into a topic he found insanely interesting, she stopped him. "Forget about it. Let's focus on Kate. You can tell me all about neutron stars later… much later."

"Indeed." But as he said this he was forced to check his vehicle's momentum as he realized that he was about to miss the entrance to the Two Whales diner. Leaning into the turn with his body, he braked hard and swung his nimble Mazda into the parking lot. The vehicle's tires complained slightly and Max was unexpectedly tossed around in her seat. As he reversed into a spot to the rear of the parking lot, she shook her head, smiling ever so slightly as she failed to suppress a laugh. "Looks like we're here."

As he engaged the hand-brake and shut off his car, Kevin noticed Max reaching for her door and before he could think better of it, he cleared his throat loudly, halting her movements. _Well I already started… might as well follow through…_

"Allow me, my lady." As he hastily exited the vehicle and made his way around, he wondered to himself why he was making such a fuss about the whole ordeal. As he opened her door, he noticed how red Max's face was and the enchanted look in her eyes. He had his answer. Smiling to himself, he followed Max into the diner and as she looked around with uncertainty He motioned to a booth off to their right in the far corner of the diner.

Nodding, she led the way over. As he fell in behind her, he noticed that one of the booths he was about to walk by was occupied by Trevor and Justin from school. The pair nodded to him as he passed and he returned the greeting as an oddly pleasing aroma that was a mixture of coffee and weed tickled his nostrils. Shaking his head, he pondered why marijuana and skateboarding almost always seemed to be mutually exclusive recreations. Max had already taken the seat in the corner and he cursed himself for being so slow. He hated not having his back against a wall. Doing his best to hide his disappointment, he took one last surveying glance at the diner before he sat down.

All of the booths were along the same wall as the entrance and about half of them were occupied. Justin and Trevor were the only people that he recognized from school and the rest of the booths seemed to be occupied by the locals from Arcadia Bay. The occupants of the bar stools at the counter seemed to be mostly truckers, save for a lone police officer, who appeared to be the only one among them enthusiastically enjoying his breakfast. _He's probably trying to eat as quickly as possible, no telling when he could be called away… those truckers probably have all the time in the world._

His thoughts were interrupted as five more people slowly made their way into the diner. Three of them made their way towards the bar stools and the other two veered off towards a booth on the opposite end of the diner. The pair that was heading towards the booth seemed to be a father taking his daughter out to breakfast because when he focused his attention on the rather attractive girl, who seemed to be his age, he caught a threatening glare from the fit and tough looking man that she accompanied.

Quickly averting his gaze, he inspected the group who had headed for the bar stools and immediately felt a chill go down his spine. There was an older gentleman who didn't seem quite right, he was jittery and on edge, almost irritable. A far younger man strode in behind him with a cocksure swagger, but his confident appearance faltered as he was drawn into some kind of argument with the older man. Finally, a woman with a severe blonde ponytail walked in and joined her companions. The very sight of her put Kevin on edge.

He studied them as they took their seats. All three were wearing formal business attire. The woman's slacks were pressed into knife-sharp creases and when she reached into her jacket, it was pulled away from her body far enough for Kevin to catch sight of a holstered pistol at her hip.

She must have felt him watching her, because she froze mid-motion and turned to look in his direction. As she turned, he tore his gaze away from her armed hip, quickly turning to face Max. Sitting down across from her, he was suddenly grateful that she had taken his preferred seating. Despite his discomfort, he was all too happy to have his back to the rest of the diner.

"Something wrong?" Max had noticed the speed in which he had sat down and cast a worrying look at him. Not wishing to worry her about what was probably nothing, he forced himself to remain calm and reassured her that he was just excited for breakfast. Nodding in agreement, she proceeded to describe nearly everything on the menu with an air of familiarity.

"Come here a lot, eh?" At this she smiled and cast an affectionate glance around the quaint establishment.

"Chloe's mom, Joyce, runs the diner here. I seriously love her cooking."

Kevin nodded with understanding. Since Chloe was her childhood best friend, Max must have eaten countless meals with her family over the years. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the aforementioned Joyce approaching them with a warm smile and a steaming pot of coffee in hand.

Not really knowing what he had expected, Kevin was surprised to see that Chloe's mother seemed like any other normal woman. Her youthful blonde hair was done up in a high-riding pony tail that swayed from side to side as she approached them. Her dark-blue eyes were alive with life as she quickly surveyed her establishment, no doubt keeping tabs on her customers.

At first Joyce seemed incredibly young, but as she drew closer the lines of age on her face became all too apparent. Nothing could hide it, not her expertly applied makeup, not even her golden hoop earrings that bounced in time with her playful hair. Chloe's mom wore the stereotypical diner waitress uniform: a blue short-sleeved polo-shirt, an apron marred by only a few coffee stains at the early hour, and, oddly enough, a pair of blue high heels. As she drew closer, her steps echoed noisily against the ceramic floor. Kevin balked at the absurdity of the scene, _I guess you can wear whatever you want when you own the place. What ever happened to slip resistant footwear?_

"And there she is – a lovely young woman. How are you doing, Max?" Surprising Kevin once again, Chloe's mother's words charmed him with their slow southern drawl.

As Max exchanged small talk with Joyce, Kevin felt awkwardly out of place and took the time to unnecessarily inspect the menu. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat as the two talked, he noticed sadly that French toast was absent from the menu. He had been craving it for breakfast, but now it seemed he would have to settle for something else.

"And where are my manners? Who's this fine young gentleman you've brought with you? Oh, sit down sweetheart no need to stand! He's a good pick, Max. Such a model gentleman!" Blushing, Max tried in vain to tell Joyce that she and Kevin were just friends, but Chloe's mother was having none of it.

"Don't you even try, Max Caulfield; your face is bright red!" At this Joyce's friendliness and warmth vanished in a heartbeat and she turned to face him. "Now look here mister, Max is like a daughter to me so you mind your manners around her, understand?" Too terrified to argue, Kevin nodded uneasily.

"Yes, ma'am." No specific threat had been mentioned, but the implication was far more terrifying. For a moment his mind wandered through an endless list of punishments, each more terrifying than its predecessor. Joyce poured the pair some coffee. Kevin remained silent even though he had never grown a taste for it.

"So... let's get down to the nitty gritty. What do you two want to eat?" Max ordered a bacon-omelet and he ordered a plate of the Belgian waffles even though his stomach still begged him for some French toast. "Now finish your coffee." And with that, Joyce was gone but not before she could cast one more threatening look his way. Max's face was slowly returning to its normal color as she focused on drinking her coffee, avoiding meeting his gaze.

Wondering when Chloe would arrive, Kevin kept the urge to look behind him in check by taking a sip of his own coffee. Doing his best not to show his distaste in case Joyce was watching him, he regarded Max for a moment as a creeping suspicion wormed its way into his head. _What if Chloe isn't coming at all and Max just told me that she was coming to increase my chances of joining her? No… that doesn't fit her profile… and besides… Chloe seems like the type of person that does everything on their own time anyway._

Satisfied with his conclusion, he braved a second sip of his coffee as one of the truckers made his way over to the nearby jukebox, quickly making a selection. Wincing as the twang of upbeat country music began to assault his ears, he did his best to tune out the noise. Max hadn't seemed to have noticed at all as she stared wistfully out of the diner's massive windows that spanned the entire length of the seating area. Turning to see what she was looking at, Kevin noticed the lighthouse standing proudly atop the cliff off in the distance. Shrugging to himself, he wondered what she was thinking about for a moment until he returned to his own thoughts.

"I can hear your stomachs' rumbling from here you two. Here, you guys will love this." Joyce returned out of nowhere, and before he could wonder how long he and Max had been lost in their own respective thoughts, he had a plate of waffles in front of him. Despite his stomach's earlier determination, it now abandoned its French Toast crusade and rejoiced at the delicious aroma of the food that was before him.

"I'm drooling like a baby." Max rubbed her hands together excitedly as she eyed her own dish.

"I still can't believe you are a woman. When I look at pictures of Chloe-" Joyce's words were cut short as her attention was drawn to the front door. The urge to turn around for a quick peek became overwhelming, but his curiosity was soon satisfied as he noticed Joyce's face take on that look that parents did when they regarded their own child. "Speak of the devil..." Chloe had finally arrived.

"Mom and Max, together again!" Chloe regarded him for a moment and motioned with her head towards Max's side of the table. The message was all too clear, he had to move.

Max giggled at her friend's display of dominance, shaking her head as she prepared to attack her food. Max scooted towards the corner to make room for him all the same. Shrugging as if he didn't care either way, he secretly thanked and cursed her at the same moment. _I can finally have my back to a wall again but what if that blonde lady looks my way again… and worse… now I'm sitting next to Max right in front of Joyce… but I think she's worried about her own daughter at the moment._

"And Chloe, looking for a free meal. You've put your whole damned college fund on your tab."

"I'm treating Chloe to breakfast." Max announced as she wolfed down some of her food, seemingly unbothered as Kevin sat down beside her.

"No, you're not," Joyce said chuckling, "This is my treat to you for coming back to rescue my daughter."

"Nobody needs to rescue me," Chloe stated flatly, still standing. _Oh really? So, I guess Max didn't need to stop you from getting shot by Nathan?_

"Unless you set your room on fire smoking out…" Joyce retorted quickly. Chloe groaned and put her hands up behind her head as she shifted her stance in annoyance, jutting her hip out.

"Oh God, here it comes. Didn't you and Sergeant Pepper read me the Riot Act last night?"

Kevin did his best to suppress a chuckle but failed. Chloe nodded in appreciation while Joyce cast him a look of warning and he felt his pulse skip a beat as the smile perished.

"Call him David if you don't want to be lectured." Joyce's cold and threatening look was back as she regarded her daughter. "You only get one damned slice of bacon today."

"You guys are still the same," Max commented, giggling softly as Joyce stalked away.

"Another reason to blow this town..." Letting out a frustrated sigh, Chloe regarded him one last time and then turned towards the jukebox. "What is this shit on the jukebox?" Stalking towards the offending machine, she quickly changed the music to a heavy and very punk song that he didn't recognize.

"Now that that's out of the way—" Diving into the now empty booth, Chloe turned to face Max with childlike glee just as her friend was finishing off the last remnants of her food. "—Let's talk about your superpower!"

"I don't have any explanations… and I can't explain why I saw that crazy tornado—"

"C'mon, that's just a daydream. I want proof that you can rewind time." Kevin didn't like where the conversation was going. Fearing the worst, he quickly finished the rest of his waffles and despite his lack of table manners, he went completely unnoticed by his companions.

"This is all happening so fast…" Max said, almost breathlessly. Feeling like he was going to choke on the sheer volume of food he had just consumed, he hastily drained a significant portion of his remaining coffee. Grimacing with distaste as he swallowed, he gasped for air, half expecting to be the center of attention. Luckily, to his surprise, his near-death experience hadn't been of any concern.

"We'll start slow. Right here. Now," Chloe stated firmly, there would be no argument. _Noooope._

"Excuse me ladies, but I'll be back." He caught a knowing look from Max as he excused himself, but Chloe simply waved him off. Scanning the diner again as he stood, he located the entrance to the bathrooms on the opposite end. Unfortunately, in order to reach the relative safety of the bathroom, he had to pass behind the woman with blonde hair and then walk right by the man who had caught him checking out his daughter.

"I can tell you everything that you have in your pockets." As Max said this, Chloe became more excited. Kevin made up his mind and quickly started putting distance between himself and Max. If Max really was going to use her powers, he certainly didn't want to be next to her in a crowded diner, his reaction would most certainly cause a scene.

He made it to the bathroom in such a flash that no one seemed to pay him any special attention on the way. After a quick inspection of the small bathroom, which consisted of two sinks and two mostly clean stalls, he was relieved to find it empty. Not really in the mood for hiding in one of the stalls, he put his hands on either side of the left-most sink.

Leaning forward over his perch, he braced himself for the worst. It took longer than he had expected but just when he was about to move it hit him. Despite the fact that he wasn't right next to Max, the pain was always far worse than he remembered.

Staggering from the shock of the experience, he turned on the sink and splashed some ice-cold water on his face. He hoped that had been enough proof for Chloe. Unfortunately for him, it hadn't. He was struck by a second jolt of agony, immediately followed by a third. Staggering, he cried out sharply through clenched teeth. As the sensation quickly passed, he hoped that the bathroom door had kept his suffering a secret. Gasping for air, he splashed more water on his face even though it had been of no help previously. _No more Max… please…_

Kevin nearly jumped when the door opened and the man who had caught him checking out his daughter walked in. Quickly shifting his glance from the mirror in front of him to the drain in the sink, he willed Max to be done with her demonstrations and did his best to look as if nothing was wrong. He was simply washing his hands.

"You okay?" _Shit_.

Kevin instantly recognized the man's New York accent. It wasn't the stereotypical accent that you heard in movies and on television all the time, but the resemblance was clear. Kevin hastily finished washing his hands and moved to dry them with the hand dryer on the wall immediately to his right. This, unfortunately, brought him closer to the well-dressed man with short black hair, who carried himself as if he could handle anything. Doing his best to look and sound as normal as possible, Kevin turned to meet the man's penetrating, suspicious gaze.

"Yeah, it's just a headache." Seemingly unconvinced, the man held his gaze for a moment and then moved towards one of the stalls.

"I'll give you another headache if you look at my niece like that again. Do we understand each other?"

Forgetting himself, Kevin felt the dark fire of defiance spread throughout his chest. He must have changed his stance or made some form of a physical indication, because the man changed his own stance as if expecting trouble. Forcing himself to be calm and not trusting himself to speak properly Kevin simply nodded, turned his back on the man and stepped out of the bathroom.

Wanting some form of vengeance, Kevin was about to try and catch the attention of the man's niece. But before he could wink at her or something equally foolish, he froze. Everyone in the diner was going about their business as if nothing exceptional had happened except for the blonde woman sitting at the bar. Her face shockingly mirrored his own from a few moments ago. She was pale and was hunched over slightly as she gripped the surface of the bar in front of her. Her entire body was rigid and her face was a mixture of confusion and pain.

Her companions had noticed as well, and seemed to be abuzz with concern but she paid them no attention at all. Instead, she slowly and deliberately turned to her right and Kevin had no doubt in his mind that she was staring right at Max. _She knows! How the fuck does she know?!_ And as Kevin's stomach twisted in shock, he noticed something else about the woman. As she turned something flashed at her waist. He saw what it was as plain as day. _She has an FBI badge…_

The door to the bathroom opened behind him, and as Kevin turned to face the man from New York, it seemed like they were about to have another confrontation. But to Kevin's relief, the man's attention went to something else and he pushed past Kevin. His relief was short-lived when the man had gone straight towards the FBI lady.

"Livvy… what's wrong?" the man asked, his heavily accented words filled with concern. The woman turned in her seat and now that she was distracted Kevin did his best not to sprint across the diner. As he approached, Max looked up and the smile on her face vanished at the sight of his ghastly expression.

"We need to go, now!" he urged in quietly. His words were infused with so much urgency that not even Chloe questioned the reason. The trio dashed toward the exit and Kevin prepared himself for a confrontation. Chloe must have caught on because he sensed her tense up as well as she moved protectively closer to Max.

"Where are we going?" Max had the good sense to whisper just as they made it to the door. As the girls made their way out of the door he held for them, Kevin cast a sidelong glance at the FBI lady and her friend from New York. They talked quietly but passionately with their two other friends, not paying attention to the high schoolers making their hasty retreat. Thankful that they had made it this far, Kevin quickly made his way outside and caught up with Max and Chloe.

"Just jump in. Kevin, follow me!" Chloe called over her shoulder as she made her way over to her parked truck with Max in tow. She had a hint of amusement in her voice, but as Kevin unlocked his car-door and practically threw himself into his vehicle, he noted that her posture hadn't changed a bit. She was still ready for a fight.

With Max onboard, Chloe started her truck and launched away with more speed than Kevin would have ever expected. Luckily, he parked with a quick exit in mind, as he usually did, so he was out of the parking lot and right behind his friends in a matter of seconds.

 _Thanks for the tip, Dad._


	6. Surface Tension

**Surface Tension**

 _So, this is Chloe's idea of a secret hideaway? A junkyard?_ _I'm not sure if I'm impressed or worried._ Located on the outskirts of the town, far away from pretty much everything, it seemed to be a fairly solid hiding place. Unfortunately, the 'road' that they were on was little more than a dirt path and his sporty low riding Mazda was not enjoying the experience one bit.

Despite the bumpy and less than enjoyable ride, they arrived at the entrance only after a few moments and Chloe simply stopped her truck at the entrance and jumped out. To the girls' amusement, Kevin took the time to painstakingly turn his car around before parking it adjacent to Chloe's truck. Due to the limited space, his maneuvers were comical at best, but after a few minutes he finally had his vehicle turned around the other way and set for an easy exit.

"Everything okay, speed racer?" Chloe was free to taunt him until the end of time, he was nonetheless proud of his time-consuming parking job. She led the way into the depths of the junkyard and it became obvious that she was quite familiar with the location. The area was littered with rusted out hulks of cars, plenty of abandoned home appliances, a few wrecked fishing boats and even an abandoned school bus. The scene had an almost majestic feel to it.

The forest surrounded the area on all sides and the only reminder of humanity was waste and rust. The air felt heavier here, even the songs of the birds felt muted and dulled. Feeling a deep chill creep down the back of his neck, Kevin felt as if he was being watched and decided that he would never come back to this place after dark.

"Welcome to American rust. My home away from hell. Alright… what's the deal? Why did I have to jet out of there before I finished my grub?" Chloe demanded.

Kevin glanced at Max before he responded, noticing how worried she looked. Chloe didn't seem to be overly concerned, but she seemed tense regardless. Not knowing any good way to break the news, he sighed heavily and decided to just say it.

"At the diner there was an FBI agent that noticed Max rewinding time." Chloe's jaw dropped. _Hadn't been expecting that, eh?_ Max paled and Kevin's gut twisted as her fearful eyes widened and started scanning the junkyard for threats.

"For reals?" Chloe cast a worried look at her friend, but after a few moments he saw something change in Chloe's posture and her face took on a very hostile expression. "Fuck that dude, you are hella' paranoid! Why the fuck would you even cook that shit up?"

"Are you serious right now? I saw her badge! I saw her face! She looked just like I do when Max uses her powers. She was in pain and then she looked right at you guys! She knows!" he replied, anger rising.

"Bullshit! What are the chances that someone else would have the exact same crazy powers that you do? Just admit it… you freaked!" Chloe responded fiercely, pointing a finger at him.

"I know what I'm talking about, Chloe…" Clearly seeing that he wasn't getting through to Chloe, Kevin changed tactics. "What if I'm right?"

"If you're right, and you're not, it's a good thing I swiped this from my step-douche." As she said this, Chloe reached behind her back and revealed a revolver that she must have had stuffed down the back of her jeans. Kevin's stomach tightened even more, making the waffles he'd just eaten a leaden lump. _The only thing that could make this situation even worse is more guns._

"So, you did take David's gun…" Max had finally found her voice. She still seemed a little shaken up, but Chloe's arguments must have struck home because she no longer looked terrified. _She seems a little uncomfortable about the gun so that can't be what is comforting her._

"Is everybody armed in Arcadia Bay now?" Max asked, hesitantly.

"Only the ones that shouldn't be. Like step-dildo. Until now..." Chloe brandished the weapon and peered down the sights as she aimed it at nothing in particular.

"I'm not in the revolution yet, Che." Max was almost back to normal, it was obvious to Kevin that he had lost the argument. The bond between the two girls was strong. Max would take Chloe's side no matter what he said or did.

"You are the revolution, Max. Don't listen to Kevin's paranoid shit. Right now, we should figure out the best way to use and abuse your power... with a test." Despite his earlier realizations and wanting to avoid unnecessary pain, Kevin decided to reach out to Max's sensibilities one last time.

"No. We shouldn't be screwing around What if—"

Chloe cut him off and his frustration simmered. "Dude, if you're so worried why don't you 'secure the perimeter' or whatever while we do our thing?" Kevin looked to Max for support, but she avoided his gaze. The line had been drawn. _Fine… fuck it._ Furious, he turned and walked off deeper into the junkyard without casting either of his companions a second glance. Neither girl called after him, they just let him go.

Kevin fumed as he increased the distance between himself and the girls. His hands balled into fists and he shook with rage. _I know what I saw! Why wouldn't they just listen?_

He felt betrayed by his new 'friends' and his feelings only grew worse when he heard the echo of a gunshot as the sound reverberated through the junkyard. Seconds later his fury reached a breaking point when he felt the effects of Max rewinding time for just a moment. _Fuck it! I'm out of here!_

Turning around, his rage subsided slightly as he noticed for the first time just how much distance he had marched. A second gunshot sounded and was followed up by another momentary rewind. _Well I can't go back to my car with that bullshit going on… the closer I get to them the more pain I'll be in._

Grumbling to himself, he navigated his way through the junkyard, searching for a roundabout route back to his car. As he did so, he grew used to the gunshots and the momentary time shifts. Due to his distance, they were only mildly unpleasant and slowly his anger subsided. Unfortunately, feelings of doubt and emptiness moved in as his fury faded.

It seemed the shooting and time shifts had ceased for now but he still didn't want to go back and face his 'friends.' But as he walked, he began to feel more alone and isolated than he had ever felt in his life. To make matters worse the aura of the environment was getting to him again as well.

The sensation of being watched gnawed at the back of his mind, and no matter how many times he stopped and scanned his surroundings, he discovered nothing that he should be concerned about. Without the sporadic gunfire echoing through the wrecks, the junkyard settled into an eerie quiet. Every so often, he would stop and close his eyes and stretch his hearing to its limits, and still he would hear nothing.

As he cast yet another careful look at his surroundings, his stomach tightened as he felt a growing sense of danger creep into his mind. Not really sure why he felt the way he did, Kevin plotted the most direct route he could manage back towards Max and Chloe. Quickening his pace, he felt a growing certainty that something was wrong. He cursed himself for getting so far away.

He was about to break out into a full sprint when he heard raised voices that he didn't recognize coming from the direction of his friends. He came to a dead stop and did his best to control his breathing as he strained to listen. But before he could make any sense of the nearby voices, something much closer caught his attention. Someone was close by, he could hear their muffled footsteps. He wasn't sure how he knew or why he knew, but all he knew was that Chloe and Max were in trouble. Picking up a nearby metal pipe he hefted his weapon and steeled himself for what was to come.

* * *

"FBI, nobody move!" Olivia shouted as Peter lined up his target. They had just surprised the two girls, who she recognized from the diner, and a man who had to be the driver of the Winnebago that they had followed. She and Peter had their guns drawn and it seemed that they had arrived just in time to disrupt a confrontation between the man and the two girls. As she and Peter moved closer, she noticed that the smaller of the two girls was armed with a revolver and the disheveled looking man was holding a small but deadly looking knife. "Drop your weapons now!"

Once she had recovered from her traumatic experience at the diner, which she still couldn't quite put into words, Peter spotted the two girls leave the diner accompanied by a young man. Almost immediately after the trio had pulled out of the parking lot in two separate vehicles, a dirty and ancient looking Winnebago lumbered after them.

Even though it had taken some time for them to join the pursuit, it hadn't been difficult to follow the aging vehicle. Upon arriving at what seemed to be a local junkyard, they quickly spotted all three of the vehicles that they had been pursuing, but had drawn their weapons once they had heard a single report of gunfire. Olivia set out with Peter and Charlie, leaving Kimberly in Walter's care with the cars with strict instructions to stay put. However, Olivia felt that it was more likely that they were leaving Walter in Charlie's niece's care.

As they had maneuvered their way into the junkyard, Charlie peeled off into the forest so he could come in from a separate angle of attack. Unfortunately, at the moment Charlie was nowhere to be found so it was up to her and Peter to handle the current situation.

"I said drop the weapons! Now!" Olivia called out again and the disheveled looking man immediately let his knife fall from his hand and the brown-haired girl with the gun shakily dropped her weapon as well.

"On the ground, all of you!" Peter added as he approached. All three complied slowly but just as everything seemed to be deescalating something sharp and painful hit her. Staggering in surprise, she gripped her gun tighter as her arms buckled, her aim faltering. The terrifying sensation passed, but just as it did the brown-haired girl who had been holding the gun suddenly collapsed.

"Max!" cried the blue-haired girl. Peter intercepted the blue haired girl as she scrambled towards her now unmoving friend. "Get off of me! Let me go! Max!" Despite her protests and her struggles, Peter managed to handcuff her and did his best to pin her on the ground. Clearly out of breath, he turned towards Olivia. He froze.

"Olivia?" He called out to her as he his captive continued to struggle, his voice full of unmasked concern. Snapping out of her daze, she moved quickly towards the disheveled and foul-smelling man. Within a few moments, he too was handcuffed, and she led him over to join the protesting blue haired girl.

Her captive's dirty-blonde hair was as disheveled as the rest of him, and she wouldn't be surprised if he cut it himself, his bangs hung down his forehead in an uneven line. A full-beard and goatee added to the man's roguish demeanor while his black leather jacket with a high collar almost successfully hid a score of tattoos along his neck and upper chest. A red V-neck shirt was barely exposed from underneath his slightly unzipped jacket.

The man dressed and looked like a thug, but Olivia's instincts told her that this was just an outward projection, he more than likely wasn't all that dangerous. Even so, she kept a close eye on him, just in case. He seemed oddly calm, despite his current predicament.

"No! I won't calm down! Something's wrong with Max! Can't you see? Let me go!" Something was indeed noticeably wrong with her friend. As Olivia drew closer, she noticed streaks of blood slowly oozing out of the young girls' nose. She felt her heart grow cold as she looked down at the unmoving girl and turned to Peter.

"Go get Walter." Nodding quickly, Peter took off without hesitation. He had been troubled by the girl's state as much as she had. The blue haired girl ceased protesting but she kept her teary-eyed gaze on her friend and Olivia pitied her. "Hey, what's your name?" The girl hesitated before answering as a few tears that she hadn't been able to hold back trickled down her face.

"Chloe…"

"Now listen, Chloe. We've got a doctor with us and he's going to help your friend." The girl nodded slowly but Olivia could tell that she was unconvinced. "Chloe… I'm going to help you up so you can be with your friend but you have to promise me that you will cooperate with us, understood?" The girl nodded enthusiastically as a few more tears streamed down her face.

"I promise." Her response was feeble but resolute. Olivia moved quickly and helped Chloe to her feet and steadied her. Holstering her sidearm, she looked the girl straight in the eyes for a moment. Sensing no threat, she moved behind her and slowly uncuffed the blue-haired girl. Chloe took a step toward her friend but Olivia stayed her movement by gripping her tightly on the shoulder.

"Hold out your hands, please," requested Olivia. Chloe hesitated for a moment, but after one quick glance at her friend she offered up her hands to be handcuffed again, without a fuss. Olivia helped Chloe kneel down next to Max, who worryingly still hadn't moved. Chloe reached out and grabbed one of Max's hands and held it tightly.

"Oh, Max… please be okay…"

"Hey, what about me?"

Olivia turned towards the man that she handcuffed, who, to his credit, hadn't put up any resistance. Before she could respond, a sudden movement to her right caught her attention. Charlie had finally arrived and he was pretty much dragging a semi-conscious boy whom she recognized immediately. He was a little dirty and his shirt was torn slightly while his white undershirt had fresh blood stains. Olivia was shocked to realize that the blood could have come from him or Charlie, probably both.

"Charlie, what the hell happened?" she found herself asking in confusion. Had Charlie really let some kid get the better of him?

Noticing the incredulous look on her face, Charlie did his best to downplay his state. Streaks of blood came from wound somewhere under his hair and ran down the side of his face and neck. His suit was just as dirty and torn as the boy's clothing, but whatever confrontation that happened between the two, she was glad that Charlie had come out on top.

"The kid's got spirit, I'll give him that. I'm fine, Livvy. He got me good though. Little bastard..." As Charlie approached, he grunted with effort as the semi-conscious boy stumbled over some debris, but he managed to keep the boy on his feet. As Olivia inspected the boy's face, she noticed too late that even though he appeared to be barely able to stand, his eyes were alert and ready and had gone wide at the sight of the still unconscious and bloodied Max.

"Charlie!" Her warning had come too late.

Standing as quickly as she could, she watched in horror as the boy sprang into action. The boy pivoted in place and threw himself at Charlie. Caught off balance, the pair crashed into the side of one of the rusted-out vehicles with Charlie taking the brunt of the blow. Trying to regain control of the boy, Charlie received a vicious headbutt to the face. As he staggered from the blow, the boy kicked Charlie's feet out. Falling to the ground with a surprised grunt, Charlie fumbled for his weapon only to have it kicked away.

"Stop!" Olivia was shocked at how fast everything had happened. In the seconds that it took for her to redraw her sidearm, this kid had incapacitated Charlie and he now turned to face her. Even though his hands were still securely cuffed behind his back, and even though she had her sidearm steadily trained on him, he regarded her with a look of contempt.

"What the hell? I leave you alone for a few seconds and look what happens!" Peter shouted. He arrived with Walter in tow. He immediately moved to help the now groaning Charlie to his feet.

"On your knees, now!" Olivia called out. Thankful that no one else had taken advantage of the chaos, Olivia decided she wasn't going to take any chances with the defiant looking boy.

"Calm down, Agent Dunham! I need to concentrate!" Walter growled in annoyance as he knelt down next to Max, opening his portable first aid kit with one hand, checking her pulse at the neck with the other. "Pulse is unusually rapid… hmmm."

Once Charlie was on his feet again, but still supporting himself against one of the wrecks, Peter warily approached the boy. Before Peter reached him, however, the boy collapsed to his knees, his face shadowed with defeat. Sidearm still in hand, Olivia followed the boy's miserable gaze to where Walter was now forcing Max's eyelids open as he shined a small flashlight in them to test her pupil's responses.

"Dilation normal…Peter, come and help me!" Impatient as ever, Walter's voice demanded an immediate response. Peter was at his side in seconds.

Slowly, Olivia re-holstered her sidearm as she exhaled the breath that she hadn't known she was holding. Keeping one eye on the boy, she moved over to where Charlie was recovering.

"What the hell happened, Charlie?" Shaking his head slowly, Charlie winced in pain as he tentatively touched the small wound on his head.

"Damned kid came out of nowhere. Almost got my gun away from me. I'd check his background if I were you, Livvy, he's been trained or something." If Olivia hadn't witnessed what had just happened, she might have laughed at Charlie and told him that he was losing his edge. But she had seen the kid in action. She could only slowly nod as she regarded him one more time.

The now defeated looking boy couldn't have been any older than nineteen. His dark brown hair was thick but short. He had the faint beginnings of a goatee on his chin that added a certain amount of maturity to his complexion. He was tall and skinny, almost lanky. His face clouded in misery, green eyes gazing fixedly at Walter and Peter as they tried to resuscitate Max.

Olivia's attention turned to Chloe, who was crouched next to her fallen friend, using a piece of gauze to dab the blood from Max's face.

"What do you think is going through his mind right now? Just look at him, he seems like a completely different person," Olivia asked Charlie in a hushed tone.

"Well, the way I see it right now… he was probably just trying to do what he thought was right to protect his friends." Olivia turned to look at the now smiling Charlie as he did his best to stand upright again. "Hey, don't look at me like that, Livvy. I'm not saying I forgive him for doing what he did. In fact, I'm still pretty pissed about it. I'm just saying I can understand why he fought so hard."

Nodding absentmindedly, Olivia moved over to the first aid kit and grabbed a few items for Charlie and tossed them to him. He caught the gauze and bandages one after the other, snatching them out of the air easily in spite of his state.

As Charlie began to patch himself up, she cautiously approached the defeated boy. As she knelt down beside him, he barely noticed her. He didn't resist at all when she helped him to his feet. He remained eerily passive as she led him a short distance to a lone plastic chair. Allowing himself to be lowered in the chair, the boy refused to take his eyes off of his friends. Olivia was about to begin to ask him a few questions, but before she could open her mouth there was a moment of commotion around Max that was quickly interrupted as the girl gasped for air.

"Max!" Chloe cried out in relief. Olivia noticed that the boy momentarily tensed, but the tension fled his body when it became apparent that his friend regained consciousness.

"Chloe…" Max gasped feebly as she tried to get up. Walter and Peter carefully held her down but her eyes went wide with panic nonetheless.

"It's okay, Max. These people are helping… I think, right?" Chloe went from reassuring Max one moment to skeptically eyeing Olivia and her team the next.

"Yes, of course, my dear! Don't be silly. Now, Max, is it? Short for Maxine, no doubt? Please lie still." Walter was full of smiles and entirely pleasant, a starkly different man than he had been moments ago. Max coughed lightly but remained where she was.

"Where's Kevin?" Max asked hesitantly.

"Right here, Max."

Olivia jumped at the sudden sound of the boy's voice. Her movement caught his attention. He regarded her for a moment with his dull green eyes, then he quickly dismissed her and turned his attention back to Max.

"What happened?" Max's words trailed off as she looked back and forth between her two handcuffed friends. An awkward silence hung in the air for several moments as everyone looked at one another as if they secretly hoped that someone else would try to explain. Eventually the situation finally become so unbearable that someone finally broke, but it wasn't who Olivia had expected.

"Well first, girlie, you fuckin' pulled a gun on _me_ ," the disheveled man that had been completely forgotten about emphasized the word 'me' heavily before continuing. "Then, these FBI agents came out of nowhere yelling and shouting up a storm. Then you scared the shit out of everyone when you passed out and started bleeding all over the place. Next that guy over there, Charlie, I think, came out of the junk dragging your friend Kevin around like a ragdoll. But your friend went all kung-fu crazy and opened a can of whoop-ass on Charlie. Agent Dunham then waved her gun at him and he calmed the fuck down and throughout all that, Chloe's been whining like a little bitch while… Peter… yeah, Peter and this doctor guy have been fussing over you… Did I miss anything?"

"Fuck you, Frank!" Chloe growled at him as she scrubbed the lingering tears from her face with the back of her fist.

"Meh… You're not my type," Frank returned quickly as he chuckled to himself.

"Agent Dunham, we should get this girl, Maxine, back to my… well, back to our house so I can examine her further. If we're careful with moving her, she should be fine to travel." Before she could respond to Walter, a chorus of other responses interrupted her.

"You're not taking her anywhere without me," Chloe stated firmly.

"I'm coming as well." Kevin declared plainly but forcibly as if to ward off any possible argument.

"Oh, you think you've got a choice, do you? That's cute," Charlie growled back at Kevin and the two glared at one another for a moment.

"I don't need to go. Can you guys just let me go, please?" Frank called out from where he was sitting off to the side, forgotten once again.

"Don't let him go! He's a lame-ass drug dealer!" Chloe shot Frank a vengeful look. For the first time throughout the encounter, he lost his temper.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!"

"A drug dealer, you say? My good sir, do you have mescaline? Or how about some LSD? Surely you have some good marijuana, don't you? Speak up!"

"Walter…" Peter groaned as he called after his father, his patient forgotten as he approached Frank with a newfound interest.

"Uncle Charlie?"

Olivia froze and wondered how long Kimberly had been watching. The teenager quickly approached her equally shocked uncle.

"Kimberly, I thought I told you to stay in the car!" Charlie yelled in exasperation.

"And I thought I told you to not call me that! What happened to you?" She shot back, unfazed and defiant to the last.

"Your uncle and I had a minor disagreement," Kevin called out sheepishly, seemingly recognizing the girl. He did his best to look dashing, despite the fact that he was still in handcuffs. Olivia felt the beginnings of smile forming on her lips.

"A minor—" Charlie started, but was cut off by his niece.

"A disagreement about what?" At this, Kevin flashed a sly smile as he responded.

"I thought he was an asshole out to hurt my friends and he thought I was some punk kid up to no good."

Chloe and Peter chuckled and even Frank laughed despite his earlier irritation. Olivia's smile was now realized. But despite the smiles that were creeping up, Olivia noticed that Charlie's niece was still deadly serious.

"And?" she asked impatiently, eyeing Kevin with distrust.

"Well, it seems that I was wrong," Kevin began and Olivia watched as his dashing smile spread across Kevin's face. "But your Uncle, he might be onto something."

"Livvy, smack him for me please." Charlie grumbled as he realized that the boy's attempts at being charming and alluring might actually be working on his niece as a slow smile crept across her face.

* * *

Kevin had never been in handcuffs before, it hadn't taken long for him to loath the experience with every fiber of his being. The agent named Charlie had made sure that his were extra tight, but this was to be expected. Not only had he caused a great deal of trouble for the FBI agents, he had also shown them that he was unpredictable… even dangerous. _How did I do that?_

He had moved without thinking and reacted purely on instinct. No hesitation. No fear. It was as if he had watched someone else do those incredible feats, like watching a movie and he was simply a character. The experience had been so surreal and if he wasn't faced with the stark reality of the situation at the moment, he wouldn't have believed that it happened.

The metal cuffs dug into his wrists as the vehicle he was in maneuvered through the twisty back roads of Arcadia Bay. Determined not to show any discomfort, he suppressed a groan as he bit down on his tongue. Chloe was to his right on the opposite side of the rear passenger seat and Max was snugly wedged between them. They were both still in handcuffs but, Kevin assumed, since they had been compliant, their hands weren't behind their backs. _Theirs are probably not as tight either…_

The agent, Olivia, was driving the vehicle and the doctor, Walter, rode shotgun and peered back to see how Max was faring every so often. Walter would also glance over at Kevin with mild curiosity from time to time, but for the most part, his attention was focused on Max. This wasn't true for the other occupants of the vehicle. Max and Chloe couldn't keep their eyes off of Kevin. Max kept casting worried glances his way despite his stoic resilience to the situation and Chloe's expression was a mixture of awe and guilt.

He hated being the center of attention and even though he hadn't noticed anything concrete, he was almost positive that Olivia had her eyes on him too, even though she was driving. But despite all of the attention and his constant physical discomfort, nothing compared to dreadful torment of the knowledge that someone else was driving his car right behind them.

 _What if they scratch it? What if they do something to it? What if that bastard is driving it?_ He hadn't seen who had been tasked with driving his vehicle but he hoped and pleaded it hadn't been the agent named Charlie. He felt a certainty deep down in his chest that if it was indeed his new nemesis that he would mistreat it in any way that he could. He had seen the man's niece get into the driver's seat of the other FBI vehicle that was identical to the one that he was in so he knew that it wasn't her. _Shame really, I wouldn't mind it if she drove my car… well, not that much anyway._

His expression must have changed, because at that moment, Max scooched closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder as if to comfort him. He sensed Chloe tense slightly and she must have too because she awkwardly abandoned the maneuver. Her face flushed with color, which despite the awkward moment, sent waves of relief through his body.

Despite her recovery, Max's face remained several shades paler than usual. Kevin's face reddened as anger clouded his thoughts. _I should have been there to protect them. If I hadn't stormed off, I could have kept us out of this mess. This is my fault. If I had just been there… I could have—_

 _You could have what? They have guns you fool! You couldn't even manage to take out one of them when you had the upper hand! What were you going to do against three of them at once? Idiot…_

* * *

As Olivia maneuvered her vehicle into the large driveway, another pang of guilt flooded through her. Not only had their case ruined Charlie's vacation, but while assisting them, he was injured and now they invaded his vacation home. But Charlie had insisted, and he was certainly right about the fact that at this present moment, they had nowhere else better to go.

The two-story house was quite large and tucked away in the woods of Arcadia bay. It had obviously been designed as a private vacation home because of the lack of nearby neighbors. There wasn't much of a yard around the property but the forest had been cut back just enough so that none of the large trees would damage the house if they collapsed. There were only two bedrooms but according to Charlie there were plenty of couches for everyone and he certainly didn't want anyone sleeping at the 'local' hotels. He also claimed that the finished and barely furnished basement would be a perfect set-up for Walter's equipment.

Charlie drove the white Mazda from the junkyard and he groaned as he struggled to climb out of the low vehicle. Peter, on the other-hand, happily leapt out of the rusted brown pickup truck and gave the old beast an approving nod as he closed the door. Kimberly arrived behind the wheel of the second FBI vehicle. She was incredibly enthusiastic to lend her assistance but Olivia had misgivings about allowing a teenager to be involved in the investigation, especially Charlie's teenager.

Kimberly put up a fuss when Frank, a confirmed drug dealer, had been let go. Even though Olivia agreed with Charlies niece's protests, Walter insisted in case they needed to conduct repeat business with him in the future. Charlie ushered his niece inside in order to make a few last-minute preparations for their sudden swarm of unexpected guests. Olivia assisted Peter with moving their handcuffed guests inside. Meanwhile, Walter fussed over Max despite her insistence that she was feeling much better. He kept very close to the nervous girl.

"Nonsense, young lady! You must be careful. Take your time… and I want you sitting down as soon as we get inside!" Walter fretted over Max as he chatted away enthusiastically. "Oh, Agent Dunham, since Astrix isn't here... Can you and Peter please bring my equipment inside? I wish to start my examinations at once!"

"Astrid, Walter. Her name is _Astrid_." Peter called back from inside the house as he escorted the boy named Kevin inside. The boy had taken on a drastically different temperament now, almost submissive, but Olivia watched him carefully and it seemed that Peter wasn't taking any chances either.

"That's what I said! Isn't it, Agent Dunham?" Walter responded confidently, entirely unaware that he never seemed to get Agent Astrid's name correct.

Smiling as she shook her head, Olivia directed Chloe through the front door of the house and helped her down the stairs to the basement. Downstairs, Peter had already directed Kevin to a large blue couch at the far end of the first room. The room was large and sparsely furnished. The couch accompanied a matching chair and loveseat. A large oak table dominated the other end of the room.

The room had a single door that led to the rest of the basement and, upon inspection, Olivia discovered a second room that seemed to be storage for a few more pieces of furniture and some other odds and ends. Closing the door, she turned back to watch as both Chloe and Max sat down next to Kevin. Both Chloe and Kevin intentionally maneuvered so that Max would be between them. She observed the trio for a moment longer and turned to Peter as he approached.

"Peter… Walter would like your help bringing in his equipment." Peter rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"And by help I assume that means I will be dragging everything down here while he grumbles about how long I am taking?"

"I would help but..." She nodded towards the three teenagers on the couch and Peter smiled and motioned with his hand to show that he understood.

As Peter ascended the stairs, she regarded their captive teenagers once more. Max seemed to be doing much better but she was obviously worried and even though Chloe was doing her best to seem indifferent, Olivia could tell that she was tense and nervous as well. Kevin, on the other hand, expertly covered his emotions with an impassive stare as he took in his surroundings but his body language told a completely different story.

She could tell from the way he sat that he was in pain and that he was tense and perhaps even a little angry. His shoulders were rigid and his jaw was clenched tightly. It was then that she realized that he still had his hands behind his back and felt a rare moment of irritation with Charlie. Shaking her head, she approached the three teenagers and smiled awkwardly and did her best to seem nonthreatening.

"As you probably already know… my name is Olivia Dunham and I'm with the FBI—" Chloe cut her off mid-sentence and quickly became agitated.

"What the shit do you want with us? We didn't do anything!"

"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't call illegal possession of a firearm, consorting with a drug dealer, and assaulting an agent 'not doing anything.'" Olivia's response was quick and to the point, and it drove itself home with spectacular effect.

Chloe stiffened at this rebuke and Kevin shifted slightly in discomfort. Realizing that she had responded harshly, she forced herself to relax and softened her tone.

"Look, we would just like to talk to the three of you and ask you a few questions. If you assist us in our investigation and remain compliant we may forgive and forget so to speak, how does that sound?" Chloe was about to respond when Kevin cleared his throat and interrupted her. She cast him a sidelong glance and simply shrugged as if she wasn't interested in the conversation anymore.

"What investigation is that, Agent Dunham?" Kevin's formal tone threw her off slightly but she didn't let it show. Adopting an equally formal tone, she felt as if she were discussing the case with another agent. Olivia pondered her next words carefully and scrutinized the three teenagers as she spoke.

"What do you three know about Rachel Amber?" Kevin's face didn't change at all at the mention of the name but Max's shone with recognition, but the real prize was Chloe's reaction. Chloe's face lit up in surprise as her mouth hung open, her eyes widened but shone with hopefulness. It immediately became apparent that this was someone who had been close to her even if she hadn't spoken.

"How is this about Rachel? What do you know about her? Have you found her?" Chloe would probably have continued rapidly asking questions if Olivia hadn't held up her hand to suppress them. As she did this, she detected a slight reaction from Kevin as his eyes went to Chloe and then back to Olivia. Ignoring Chloe's questions, she moved on to her next question while the trio was still unbalanced.

"Did any of you happen to catch the snow yesterday?" asked Olivia. The trio nodded but Chloe was undeterred.

"What does that have to do with Rachel?" Chloe retorted. Olivia was equally undeterred and ignored her question.

"What were the three of you doing when it started snowing? Were you together?" Her question was rewarded with a nervous glance from Chloe as she looked at Max who was doing her best not to make eye contact with Olivia. Kevin, again, had complete control of his reaction but she noticed him tense briefly. Before anyone could answer her new question, she moved on as if the answer was unimportant.

"How about at the diner? The Two Wales was it? Why were the three of you in such a hurry to leave?" Kevin's solid composure finally broke as his pupils dilated slightly and his nostrils flared. Max's face paled and Chloe visibly swallowed as she cast another worried look at Kevin and then to Max. Smiling warmly, Olivia did her best not to seem triumphant as she asked her next question.

"What is it you were trying to do in the diner, Max?" Max's face paled further and her entire body tensed. Chloe's light blue eyes widened and her jaw tightened as her body went rigid but it was Kevin's reaction that she found most interesting. His face hardened and his eyes went cold and he looked straight and defiantly back into her eyes.

"Why did you bring us here? If you really are FBI agents, shouldn't you have taken us to a police station? What's really going on here?" Before anything more could be said, Peter noisily made his way down the stairs as he struggled with two heavy metal cases that contained some of Walter's equipment. All eyes turned towards him as he set the cases down beside the oak table and turned to make his way back up the stairs.

"Peter, could you watch them for a moment? I'll get the next load. It looks like you could use a break." Nodding in thanks, Peter made his way towards the chair to the left of the couch and fell into it. At the mixture of grave expressions that covered the faces of their guests, he immediately collected himself and straightened in his seat. As Olivia climbed the stairs, she formed a plan in her head as she sought out Charlie.

Charlie and his niece hustled back and forth in the kitchen as they prepared lunch for many more people than were currently present. Charlie sported a fresh set of almost identical clothes and moved around better than he had been. He just finished washing his hands when he noticed Olivia enter the room. She motioned for him to join her and he nodded. After having a quick word with his niece, he made his way over to her.

"What's up, Livvy?"

"Has Astrid gotten back to us with those background checks yet?"

"No, not yet. Why, are they giving you trouble?"

"Did anything stand out to you about Kevin when you ran into him in the bathroom at the diner? Anything at all?" Charlie crossed his arms and stared back at her for a moment as he replayed the moment in his head.

"He was hunched over one of the sinks. He didn't look too good either. When I asked him if he was okay he told me he had a headache… what is it?" The frown creasing her brow must have drawn his attention.

"A headache." Olivia repeated slowly. Before she thought Kevin might have been the most important of the trio. He almost managed to overpower Charlie twice and moved with such calculated precision and speed that he had seemed the most likely subject for Walter. His interest in them at the diner had also been unnerving but now she had a different idea.

"Talk to me, Livvy. Remember my brain doesn't work like yours. What's going on in there?"

"Charlie, back at the diner—"

"When you looked like you saw a ghost?"

"Yeah, it was this overwhelming sensation of vertigo and I had this sudden pain in my head. It came back again just as suddenly, but just for a moment… it was almost as if everything went backwards for a second or two."

"You said this already. What does that all have to…" Charlie stopped as he put the pieces together in his mind. "Do you think that kid had the same experience?"

"Or something quite similar, yes. And I think that girl, Max, is responsible for whatever happened." Charlie pondered this for a moment and then slowly nodded.

"Do you think he knows?"

"I do… he must have gone into the bathroom when Max was… doing whatever it is that she does so no one would notice him react like I did." Nodding again, Charlie glanced down the stairs to the basement and grimaced as another thought crossed his mind.

"Do you think _she_ knows?"

Olivia paused for a moment before answering. It was possible that Max had no idea how her abilities, or whatever they were, affected others. Olivia was nearly certain that she was able to detect whatever was going on because of the cortexiphan in her bloodstream thanks to Walter's experiments on her when she was a child… _does that kid have the drug in him too?_ That would certainly explain a few things but he's far too young to be one of Walter's former subjects. But in the Fringe division's countless investigations, they had time and time again come across copycats to Walter's past experiments so it was certainly possible that someone had restarted the cortexiphan trials.

"Let's go ask her." She said as she playfully prodded Charlie's shoulder. Nodding again, he cast one last look at his niece who had at this point taken total control of the food preparations and was doing her best not to look like she was eavesdropping. "But first, we better go grab the rest of Walter's equipment."

It took a few trips but several minutes later all of Walter's equipment was inside and ready to be unpacked. Glancing at the three teenagers on the couch, she noticed how apprehensive they all still were but she could see how the three took comfort in each other's closeness. It was time to amend her plan.

"We should separate them for a bit. I'll take Max upstairs and talk to her alone and see what I can get from her." Charlie nodded and then glanced over towards Kevin. A slow smile appeared on his face.

"While you're doing that, I'll play some hardball with the kid." Charlie, of course, meant Kevin. He seemed all too eager and even though she couldn't blame him, she wondered for a moment if leaving the two alone was a good idea or not.

"Not too hard, Charlie." She warned him.

"Relax, Livvy. I got this." Nodding, she turned to Peter, who had walked over to join them.

"Peter, can you talk to Chloe while we are gone?" Peter took a moment before answering as he rubbed the stubble that had formed on his chin.

"Sure thing, about what?" He responded.

"Just talk to her. It doesn't matter about what. Once we get Max and Kevin out of the room, I think she will open up pretty quickly." Peter simply shrugged and set to work unpacking some of Walter's equipment.

Olivia approached the couch and put on her best warm smile as she reached down and motioned for Max to hold out her hands. The girl hesitantly complied and Olivia unlocked her cuffs and gently removed them.

"Come on, Max. Walter wants to check up on you to see how you are doing. Let's go upstairs."

Max turned back to look at her friends as she allowed herself to be led away. Chloe's anxiety was clearly visible and she seemed on the verge of intervening when her eyes fell on Kevin. The boy shook his head slowly and spoke to her so calmly and softly that Olivia couldn't make it out but whatever he had said seemed to calm Chloe down, if only slightly.

Once upstairs, Olivia directed Max towards the family room. Walter was already there, set up watching one of his favorite cartoons. In between soft chuckles, Walter, without breaking his attention away from his show, snacked on some of his endless supply of candy.

Noticing them approach, Walter was startled for a moment and as she sat Max down on the large brown leather couch he offered her some of his chocolates. Declining, Max shook her head and the gesture seemed to wound him intimately. Walter had made himself quite comfortable in one of the two lazy-boy style reclining leather chairs as he munched away. Smiling to herself, Olivia made her way around the central glass coffee table and sat down on the matching love-seat directly to the left and perpendicular to the couch.

"Are you sure that you don't want any, young lady? If not, then you should at least have some food or something to drink! Are you sure you are feeling alright?" As Walter spoke he got up from his seat and moved closer to examine Max and she shied away as he approached. Looking crestfallen and wounded, Walter glanced sadly at Olivia and then back to Max. "You have nothing to fear from us young lady, we merely wish to help you." This wasn't exactly what Olivia had in mind when she had brought Max upstairs with her but she let it play out anyway.

"Help with what?" Max asked shakily as she eyed Walter and his box of chocolates suspiciously. Her question startled him and he seemed momentarily confused and taken aback.

"Why with your strange mysterious abilities of course!" Olivia felt her mouth drop open as she watched Max's do the same. Max recovered just enough to stammer out that she didn't know what Walter was talking about but he persisted. "Nonsense! Now, if you could please be so kind as to tell us about your abilities and when they manifested themselves, we will certainly do our best to assist you in every way possible. We do this sort of thing all the time! Isn't that right, Agent Dunham?"

As Max turned slowly towards Olivia, Olivia realized that Charlie's niece had stopped everything that she was doing and was listening intently to their conversation from the next room. A low half-wall separated the kitchen from the family room and there was zero chance of her having missed any word. She could only nod reassuringly at Max who, to her surprise, looked like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. And to her further surprise, Max began to tell them everything.

She started slowly at first as if unsure of herself but as Walter asked questions and sought confirmation his interest seemed to boost her confidence. As Max continued, Walter's questions became less and less frequent and his face grew more and more serious. Seeing this, Olivia felt a knot begin to form in the depths of her stomach. She knew from experience that the grave look on Walter's face meant trouble. The situation here in Arcadia Bay was certainly more ominous than they had suspected earlier. Once Max was finished, she nervously cast a sidelong glance at Olivia and then looked back at Walter who seemed lost in thought. Suddenly, after a few moments of awkward silence Walter stirred and made his way down to the basement with surprising haste.

As Olivia led Max back downstairs, the pair stopped when they heard loud and angry voices coming from the next room. Sighing, Olivia smiled reassuringly to Max as she made her way to the adjacent room where Charlie and Kevin were clearly ready to tear each other's heads off. Her sudden entrance caused the pair to immediately go quiet and freeze in place. Kevin was still handcuffed and sitting in a wooden chair in the center of the room while Charlie stood directly in front, looming menacingly over the boy. It quickly became apparent that Charlie's intimidation tactics hadn't worked in the slightest, it seemed that Charlie had finally met his match.

"That's enough you two." The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically as Charlie put on a wounded look to insinuate that he had done nothing wrong and Kevin's face looked equally innocent.

"Nothing going on here, Livvy," Charlie stated nonchalantly.

"Agent Francis and I are just having a 'friendly' chat," Kevin confirmed. Hearing this, Charlie shot Kevin an incredulous look, which the handcuffed teenager responded to with genuine laughter. While Kevin chuckled to himself, Olivia leaned in close to her former partner and asked him what had happened. Charlie responded in a low voice and his words were full of admiration.

"This kid is either the perfect mix of sarcasm and disrespect for authority or he's been trained to resist interrogation… I've never seen anything like it, Livvy… I can't wait to see what comes up in this kid's background check. Should be a good read." Nodding absentmindedly, Olivia pondered what, if any, connections this had to Max's abilities.

"Get his cuffs off and bring him back to the others. Max needs to talk to her friends." Nodding, Charlie set to work uncuffing the still amused Kevin, who had for the first time adopted a friendly tone. An all too and slightly forced Canadian accent fluttered around his words.

"So, I guess we're all friends now, eh?" chuckled Kevin. Charlie scoffed as Kevin stood and massaged his raw wrists. She motioned for Kevin to follow her back to the other room and he complied peacefully as if Charlie wasn't standing right behind him, ready in case he tried anything.

"I told them everything…" Max spoke softly and nervously as she braced herself for her friends' responses. Chloe, who was sitting to Max's left on the couch, looked at her friend in surprise for a moment but quickly recovered and put her arm around Max, embracing her encouragingly.

Kevin, who had decided to remain aloof, stood with his back against the far wall massaging his wrists and wore an impassive look as if he wasn't concerned. "I… told them about you too, Kevin." At this, he met Max's eyes and his movements halted for a moment. He was certainly doing his best at suppressing an emotional response but his body went rigid for a moment.

As if to draw attention away from this, he shrugged nonchalantly, as if what his friend had said hadn't mattered to him either way. But Max was smarter than Olivia gave her credit for. Olivia's trained eye had picked up on Kevin's response and she hadn't expected Max to notice. But it was evident that she had from the hurt look that crept onto the girl's face. Olivia watched in fascination as Kevin's relaxed posture disappeared at the sight of his friend's emotive response. Slipping out of Chloe's embrace, Max, conscious that all eyes were on her, slowly made her way over to where Kevin stood. With a suddenness that even surprised Kevin, she fiercely embraced her friend and seemed on the verge of tears as she spoke to him, her voice shaky and wavering.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about everything. I've made things so terrible for you and Chloe and put you guys through all this." He embraced her comfortingly as she spoke and Olivia noticed Chloe stir from the other side of the room.

"Max, it's fine. Really, it's fine. Worse things could have happened," Kevin stated confidently.

"Like what?" Max groaned, no doubt her imagination running wild.

"Well… Charlie could have won our fight."

Scoffing at this, Charlie glared back at Kevin. "Says the guy who ended up in handcuffs."

Kevin smiled slyly as he expertly antagonized Charlie further. "How's your head, Agent Francis?"

His face reddening, Charlie's posture stiffened.

"Enough!" Walter's harsh words startled everyone in the room. Max and Kevin separated from their embrace and Olivia couldn't help smiling. It would have been a cute moment if the pair hadn't seemed so awkward afterwards. Max smiled despite her earlier composure and made her way back to the couch where Chloe welcomed her back. As her arm wrapped protectively around her friend, Chloe shot a challenging look back at Kevin who seemed to not notice. Despite his indifference, Olivia noticed Kevin's face flush slightly and he carefully shifted his balance from one foot to the other.

Peter had obviously been busy unpacking Walter's equipment while he had spoken with Chloe. Almost everything had been unpacked and Chloe must have leant a helping hand because several new desks, tables and wooden chairs littered the now clustered room. Walter's equipment was mostly set up but despite this Walter seemed distressed and upset by the state of the room.

"This will not do! I need to be back in my lab!" Despite his angry protests, he set to work gathering supplies and it quickly became evident that he intended to draw a few blood samples. Kevin must have noticed this as well because his face paled and his eyes quickly shifted away from the array of needles that Walter was preparing.

"I'm going to need blood samples from all three of you, just in case. Peter, if you could start with the young man. I'm going to need three samples, quickly now!" Peter accepted the task and turned to Kevin and a sly, cunning smile spread across his face.

"Well, I guess we found your kryptonite. Not afraid of needles, are we?" Kevin paled even further and shifted uncomfortably as he stared fixedly at the syringe in Peter's hand.

"Needles don't scare me," Kevin managed bravely, "They fucking terrify me."

Kevin's knees trembled for a moment as his eyes darted towards the stairs as he nervously plotted his escape. Olivia moved to block him but the maneuver had been unnecessary.

"I need to sit down…" The boy groaned. Seemingly on the verge of collapse, Olivia grabbed the boy by the shoulders and steadied him. She assisted him to the nearest chair and he collapsed gracelessly into it.

"Just try and think of something else?" Peter offered and his patient scoffed fiercely. Peter set to work and sterilized an area on Kevin's left arm and as the moment drew near, Olivia could see the boy grow increasingly fearful. Charlie grinned from ear to ear as he watched the boy suffer but Olivia paid him no attention as she did her best to distract Kevin from what seemed like impending doom.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked, not having to fake interest in his answer.

"Uh, movies I guess… I dunno." He shifted uncomfortably but he looked up and met her eyes and she felt as if he was telling the truth so she continued to do her best to distract him as Peter skillfully inserted the needle into his arm.

"I see. Why did you attack Agent Francis?"

His eyes narrowed as he regarded her for a moment before answering. "He looked shady and had a gun… and it sounded like Max and Chloe were in trouble so-."

"So, you mistook my head for a piñata?" Grumbling, Charlie gingerly probed the side of his head and did his best to resist wincing as he touched the slowly healing wound.

"Exactly," Kevin responded with a content nod. The beginnings of a faint smile were detectable on his face and only grew more prominent when he noticed Charlie glaring at him.

"All done," Peter declared as he removed the needle from Kevin's arm. He gave the boy a reassuring nod and he withdrew to hand Walter the three vials of blood.

"Fucking vampire," Kevin groaned as he grimly inspected his arm.

Peter returned and applied a small bandage to the boy's arm before setting off to draw blood from Chloe and Max. The two girls managed the experience with more fortitude than their male companion.

Charlie's niece called down that lunch was ready and despite his state, Kevin dashed upstairs with Charlie hot on his heels. Max and Chloe followed once Peter was finished with them. Soft and peaceful conversation could be heard upstairs. Olivia's nose caught the delightful aroma of the food and her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

"Is there anything else you need from them, Walter?" she inquired, causing Walter to turn away from his work. He stared moodily at her for a moment before responding.

"At present no, but if we were back at my lab I could do so much more!" Turning back to the blood samples, he continued to grumble about his lack of resources.

"If there's anything else you need, I'm sure Broyles would send it our way," she offered, trying to cheer him even though she knew that his mood swings carved their own path.

"Perhaps we could bring them all back to the lab! It would be so much easier and Jean would love the company!" said Walter excitedly. He took one blood sample from each of the teenagers and placed them in the centrifuge. Looking to Peter, who was still unpacking a few odds and ends, he met her eyes and simply shrugged and remained silent.

"Let's see what we can learn from these blood samples first, then we can think of what to do next. Is there anything you need from Broyles in the meantime?"

Walter grumbled something about making a list for her and when it seemed certain that he would add nothing more, she turned to go upstairs to join the others. As she ascended the stairs, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she quickly read the message from Astrid. The background checks had finally come through and she had forwarded them to Olivia's inbox. Her grumbling stomach would have to wait a few moments longer.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as they ate, all of their worries forgotten. Olivia moved quickly past the kitchen and made her way upstairs to where her laptop awaited her. She set it up on a small desk in the spare bedroom where the rest of her belongings also resided, still unpacked. She hadn't brought much so unpacking hadn't been necessary and as she brought her computer out of hibernation, she quickly accessed the files that Astrid sent to her.

It didn't take long to realize that Maxine Caulfield was unexceptional in almost every way. She had grown up in Arcadia Bay but had moved with her family to Seattle only to come back to Arcadia Bay several years later to attend Blackwell Academy for photography. Nothing in the files suggested she was anything other than a normal eighteen-year-old girl. Moving on, she found a starkly different story in Chloe Price's files.

Starting out as a normal girl, it seemed that after her father died in a tragic car accident, trouble started brewing. Olivia also noted that the week her father had died was the same week that Max had left for Seattle. After this, her file read just like most files she had grown used to reading. Chloe started pushing back against the world, getting into trouble with the local law enforcement and was expelled from Blackwell Academy for acting out and poor performance.

Olivia felt certain that Chloe's life would continue to spiral downward unless something significant happened to bring her out of it. For a brief moment, Olivia thought back to her own childhood and her step-father and as she cast the memory back from whence it came, she hoped that Chloe would never have to experience what she did when she was younger.

Sighing, she moved onto Kevin Anderson's file— the file she was most interested in. She wasn't at all surprised to discover that he was a Canadian national and other than one small note that hadn't been attached to his file, it was just as unexceptional as Max's. Astrid had done some digging and found something interesting about his birth and hospitalization at Bluewater Health Hospital in Sarnia, Ontario. Shortly following his birth, he'd had some health complications that required immediate intervention to save his life.

The hospital even spent some extra money on some special equipment and his birth made the local newspaper once his condition stabilized. Other than this, his file was frustratingly unhelpful and had no mention of hand to hand training, no mention of emotional conditioning and there were no odd holes or inconsistencies that would normally appear if something was being hidden or had been changed. Sighing in frustration at the waste of time, she closed her laptop and headed back downstairs to join the others to reward her still grumbling stomach for its patience.

* * *

After the grand meal, everyone settled into conversations that varied from polite small talk to enthusiastic discussions. Chloe and Peter had settled into a friendly conversation about her truck, picking up from where they had left off earlier. And despite Charlie's obvious discomfort, he nonetheless did nothing to discourage the quiet conversation that had begun between Kevin and his niece. Max, on the other hand, was mostly quiet. She spent most of her time observing everyone else and, to everyone's surprise, she even snapped a picture of Chloe while she was laughing at one of Peter's irresistible jokes.

The food almost entirely gone, the conversation grew stale and both Kevin and Max seemed to come to the same simultaneous conclusion that it was time to seek their freedom. They both cited an upcoming class for the need to return to Blackwell, which made Chloe roll her eyes, but she backed Max's decision regardless of her own feelings.

Walter admitted that he didn't see any further need in keeping them around until his analysis of their blood work could be completed, but managed again to complain about his lack of proper facilities. Making sure she exchanged phone numbers with all three of their guests, both Olivia and Walter stressed that Max should use her abilities as little as possible until they understood them more. Max agreed enthusiastically and thanked them for their interest in assisting her and even Kevin seemed relieved, which wasn't surprising since her powers caused him a great deal of discomfort.

As the trio departed, Max and Chloe in the pickup truck and Kevin in his own vehicle, Olivia withdrew to her thoughts and tried to make sense of everything. The vision of the tornado that she had experienced had been the same vision or dream that Max had experienced. Olivia had witnessed it through the girl's eyes, that much was certain. It was shortly after this that Max realized that she had the ability to control time, or at least rewind it for short periods.

As far as they knew, only Kevin and Olivia were able to notice when Max manipulated time. It caused them both a great deal of discomfort, more so for Kevin, if Max was to be believed. That could have just been Max's guilt speaking, but until a real scientific analysis could be made there wasn't much necessity in debating the matter.

Olivia wasn't even sure that she would allow Walter to run any tests on Max anytime soon. However, due to the sensitivity of the matter, especially if nothing was learned from the bloodwork, then she might have to. Walter seemed to be under the impression that the strange atmospheric disturbances that had only manifested themselves as a strange snowfall so far were directly related to Max's powers, but when asked how he would always change the subject.

He didn't have any theories on how or why she and Max had shared a horrifyingly realistic vision or what it meant, but he had a theory that it had to do with Olivia's cortexiphan induced abilities. His only hypothesis on Kevin's resilience to Max's powers was that he might have been introduced to cortexiphan or a similar drug at some point in his life but he wouldn't know for sure until the bloodwork was done.

As Olivia had expected, Peter's conversation with Chloe unearthed a treasure-trove of new information. He presented it to everyone as the remnants of their feast were being cleaned up. It didn't take long for everyone to abandon their tasks to listen intently to his every word.

"Chloe didn't just know Rachel Amber, the two of them were really, really close." Peter let his words hang in the air as a sly grin spread across his face. His theatrics were unnecessary but their effect was not lost on his audience.

"Wait, Rachel Amber? You mean that missing girl? The one from all of those missing person posters?" Charlie asked in confusion. Receiving several nods of encouragement from his peers, he continued, "She's been missing for months now, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Chloe put up those posters. Apparently the two of them were supposed to run off into the sunset together and then poof, she just vanished one day." Peter's explanation did little to break Charlie's bewilderment, so Olivia tossed Charlie a thin manila folder, which he deftly snatched out of the air.

"My favorite, required reading. What the hell is this?" Charlie asked slowly as he flipped through the file. It was obvious what he held in his hands: Rachel Amber's file. As Charlie thumbed through the folder, Peter continued.

"Long story short, Chloe loses her dad years ago to a car crash, and then in the same week loses her childhood friend, her only friend, Max, when Max's family moves away to Seattle. It's sometime after this that our blue-haired rebel meets Rachel Amber and, just like in the movies, they fall madly in love with each other. But, one day Rachel simply vanishes, without a trace, if that police report is to be believed."

Charlie snorted, throwing down the folder onto the table, its contents of documents and photographs spilling out onto the table. "Bullshit. Look at all this! This girl was top of class in… well everything! Perfect grades, extra-curricular activities out the ass, her father is the District Attorney for the state for Christs' sake! And just look at her! There's no way that someone like Chloe would have ever had a chance with, or ever wanted to get involved with someone like this." To showcase his point, Charlie gestured to the largest photograph of Rachel Amber. It was stunning to say the least.

Crystal-blue eyes, straight blonde hair that cascaded around her flawless face, all brought together by a warm, inviting smile. Simply beautiful.

"I don't know, Uncle Charlie, Chloe's pretty rad." Kimberly, as usual, was close at hand. Olivia smiled towards her, Kimberly was relentless. Before Charlie could protest his niece's presence, Walter spoke, his voice barely audible and morose.

"It's sad really."

Peter cocked an eyebrow at his father, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. Before he could ask, Olivia cut in. She knew where Walter was going.

"There's no way that Rachel is still alive. People like that don't just vanish without a trace. Before we deployed, Broyles and Nina Sharp cast a wide net to find this girl, just in case. They didn't find anything." Olivia's blunt words deflated everyone around the table. Everyone except for Walter.

"Which means that she must be dead, and we have a hunt on our hands, perhaps a poltergeist! Isn't this exciting, Peter? Do you think I'll get to perform an exorcism?" Consumed with childlike glee, Walter looked around the room excitedly.

"Hang on a second, a poltergeist, really? You're serious?" Peter stared incredulously at his father, who stared back, giving his son a hurt look.

"And why not?" Walter asked impatiently.

"Is this your only theory at the moment? This is pretty thin, even for you Walter." Sighing, Peter idly fingered the documents detailing Rachel Amber's life before him. "Look, it's not _that_ hard to disappear without a trace, especially if this girl is as smart as she's supposed to be. Hell, _I_ could manage it, no problem."

"I'd find you." Olivia surprised herself with her words. Dripping with intensity, they caught Peter off-balance as well.

"Oh yeah?" Peter asked slyly, recovering quickly as an amused smile crept onto his face.

"Yeah, no problem." Forcing herself to be nonchalant in her response, she immediately became interested in something behind her.

"It's one of many, my son," Walter thankfully interrupted, "but I can see that your mind is still far too closed to accept what else I have to offer. Remember, there are no such things as coincidences. This Rachel Amber goes missing months ago, the case goes cold but her file gets thrown at us because it might just mean something. We tuck it away, use it as a coaster, and yet, moments ago perhaps the last person who saw this young woman alive was right here, talking to you about her!"

It had been a long time since Walter was this excited about something, and he clearly had no intention of listening to anyone else's questions. He set off to the basement mumbling to himself. Peter let out a weary sigh.

"I think I liked it better when he was ranting about how the world was going to end because of a few snowflakes. What's next, zombies?"

"Whatever it is, let's hope that we've seen the last of that Kevin kid. Once was enough for me." Charlie groaned as he worried over his wound. Kimberly rolled her eyes, and having lost interest, stormed off in a similar manner to Walter. Charlie exhaled a louder sigh than Peter. Olivia smiled in spite of the mountain of uncertainties surrounding their case.

There were still too many unanswered questions and for some reason, Olivia had a strange feeling that they would find many more unanswerable questions before they found answers.


	7. Angel's Fall First

**Angels Fall First**

The drive back to Blackwell gave Kevin plenty of time to collect his thoughts as he followed Chloe's truck through the twisty backroads. He had never heard of any FBI team that investigated paranormal activities other than the X-Files television show. But why would he have heard about them? If they were anything like the divisions in TV shows, they were top secret. Classified.

He had initially found it unusual at how quickly the FBI agents believed Max but, when he thought back, he supposed that he had been right about Olivia noticing Max use her powers in the diner. _She's like me then… what does that mean? And what is going to happen if they find something weird in my blood… or Max's? Are they going to arrest us all and make us disappear?_ Even though things had gotten off to a rough start everyone had seemed to get along well enough in the end. He had even warmed to Charlie, despite their initial encounter.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, he was scared. In the beginning, everything had seemed like a dream or some crazy adventure. But now that a group of FBI agents was involved, everything seemed so much more real. Max's powers were obviously more interesting than his were but what if they figured out what was wrong with him and they didn't like it and they felt like he was some sort of threat?

 _No, there's nothing wrong with me... and there's nothing wrong with Max_. _I hope._ As his thoughts turned darker, he worried about what was in store for them. He hated the feelings of uncertainty that were creeping into the back of his mind and he hated not having all the answers even more. The FBI agents, who seemed to be experts on these sorts of things, hadn't been all too helpful in explaining what could be going on.

The foreboding warning that they gave Max concerning her powers repeated in his head over and over again. He hoped that she would heed their warnings, not just for his sake, but for whatever else might be at stake.

Exhaling loudly, he brought his vehicle to a stop at a red-light. Unsurprisingly, Chloe had sped up to blow through as the light changed from yellow to red. As he impatiently waited for the light to release him, he contemplated skipping class and wondered if Max would do the same.

He didn't normally seek out alcohol when things got rough but as his thoughts troubled him further he decided that this situation didn't exactly qualify as normal. The light turned green, bringing an end to his warring thoughts.

Even though the traffic light was simply a passive observer, it had assisted in putting his mind at ease on one matter. He would not go to class. He was going straight to his dorm to have a beer… or two.

Several uneventful minutes later, he quickly maneuvered his car into the Blackwell parking lot and he parked his vehicle and jumped out. As he began to walk away from his vehicle, he felt as if he was forgetting something and when he turned around he froze for a moment. Not only had he not parked for a quick exit, but he had left his car running.

Hands trembling, Kevin slowly got back into his vehicle. He methodically fixed his parking job and made sure that this time he shut everything off properly.

He exhaled a sigh that came out more like a strangled groan. His keys jangled in his shaking hand and he did his best to calm himself, resting his head against the steering wheel. A reserved, yet persistent tapping tore him out of his meditation but he relaxed. It was only Max. He gathered himself up, stumbling only a little as he exited the car. The door closed with a thump, loud in the quiet parking lot. Max studied him worriedly.

"Thinking about skipping class?" It was a little spooky how she had read him so well _._ He simply shrugged in response and she eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, if you do, you won't be able to turn in that picture you took for the contest." Smiling grimly, Kevin regarded Max for a moment before he turned away.

"Yeah." He managed just one word, which surprised him nonetheless. Shoulders slumped slightly and his head hanging low, he made his way out of the parking lot. Max was close behind him and he could almost feel how worried she was but his thoughts soon turned inwards as they continued to walk along in silence. The moment of choice was soon approaching as they neared the front entrance of the school. He could continue on past and head to the solitude of his dorm or he could turn left and head to class. As if sensing his hesitation, Max chimed in again, her voice taking on a much more playful tone.

"Well, I guess I'll just win the contest by submitting that photo of you and Kate." _You'll have to do better than that Max Caulfield._ "And not make you a copy." Her words hung in the air behind him and from her tone of voice, Kevin could tell that she was certain that her words struck home, which they had, _damnit!_ Kevin turned on his heel to face his triumphant looking friend.

"Alright, fine. You win!" Max smiled deviously as she taunted him with the photograph, waving It playfully through the air in front of him. "But I left my bag in my room so I've gotta go grab it before class anyway… don't worry, I'll be there!" He called the last words over his shoulder as he jogged off to his dorm with a new sense of purpose planted firmly in his chest.

"You better hurry!" she called after him quite unnecessarily as he quickened his pace. She must have sensed the darkness eating away at him, but she had expertly cast it out. Despite his lingering feelings of uncertainty that still plagued him, he felt refreshed. _Thanks, Max._

Due to the small campus, it hadn't taken him long to reach the dorms and despite the few looks that other students cast his way, he made it to his room and retrieved his bag in no time at all. Double-checking to make sure that the photo was still safely tucked away inside his bag and that everything else was in order, he left his room and rushed out of the dorms.

As he quickly made his way back towards the main campus, he felt the last remnants of the darkness dissipate and a new sense of elation took hold. _This picture of Max and Chloe is perfection. Max and Chloe..._ He nearly tripped over himself as his thoughts trailed off. Unable to resist, he stopped at one of the nearby picnic tables and set his laptop bag down, hastily opening it. There was something he had missed, something he had captured in his photograph without noticing.

 _Max and Chloe…_ not really sure why he hadn't seen it before, he stared longingly at the picture in front of his face. The picture wasn't perfection at all… the picture had simply captured perfection. The hidden chemistry between Max and Chloe that was slowly leaking out and taking shape had been captured in his photograph. _Do either of them know yet?_

He thought harder on the subject as he slowly returned the picture to the safety of his bag and quickly decided that Chloe knew or at least subconsciously knew. He didn't have time to contemplate the matter though, already on the verge of being late for class. He secured his bag around his shoulder and set off at a sprint. _Max and Chloe…_

As he bolted through the main entrance to Blackwell, he nearly ran into Kate Marsh who seemed oblivious to the world around her. She wasn't okay, not at all. Something was wrong and he desperately wanted to call out to her as she continued on, but the words stuck in his throat.

Before she was out of sight, he caught the flow of tears down the side of her face. The physical embodiment of her suffering only partially marred her beauty, her suffering wreaked havoc on his heart. He stood rooted to the spot. All the air had been sucked out of his now burning chest, only allowing him shallow, painful breaths. Momentarily unsure of what to do, he wrestled with his uncertainty until he finally made up his mind. Turning the corner towards the classroom, his determined march must have caught Mr. Jefferson's attention because whatever conversation he and Max were having outside of the class, he immediately cut short.

"Ah, Mr. Anderson… heh… Matrix quote unintended… is everything alright?" Ignoring his teacher, Kevin reached inside of his bag and retrieved his entry for the 'everyday heroes' contest and thrust it towards Mr. Jefferson. His teacher hesitantly accepted the photograph, examining it. As soon as it was out of his hand, Kevin spun and nearly plowed into Max as he charged after Kate. Max nimbly dodged out of his way, but managed to grab hold of his hand all the same. Turning to face her, he checked his movement. Her face was full of worry.

"Kate?" Max asked cautiously and he gave a short, grim nod. Max kept a firm grip on his hand. Mr. Jefferson interrupted, entirely too caught up with himself to notice the moment between his two students.

"My, my... what an excellent eye you have, Kevin. The lighting, the focus, the emotion. I must admit, even though I am surprised by your choice of models, I approve." Turning to Max, he straightened his glasses and eyed her approvingly. "Such innocence, my dear Max. I hope you plan to continue modeling as well as your pursuits in photography. It would be interesting to see what else you are capable of." Mr. Jefferson checked himself as he was about to say something else and reached down into his pocket and withdrew his buzzing cell phone.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to take this… Why don't you two take your seats and get ready for class?" And at that, he turned away and walked a short distance from them and answered his phone. Max motioned towards the open door with her head and gave Kevin's hand a slight squeeze before she released it and disappeared into the classroom. Sighing heavily, Kevin cast a final look down the hall as his thoughts went to Kate one last time. _What were you going to do anyway? You fool._ Shaking his head, he followed Max into the classroom and gloomily made his way to his seat.

There was a facedown photograph on his desk and, as he threw himself down into his seat, he turned it over and smiled. Max had made good on her promise and made him a copy of the picture. _I'm shocked that she turned it in at all, honestly._ Admiring the photograph released a resurgence of guilt. _I should have gone after Kate. She's probably back in her dorm by now anyway. I still should have gone after her. Damnit._ As he tucked the picture safely away into his laptop bag, he noticed Warren enter the room and nodded to his friend as their eyes met. Warren returned the nod and made his way towards Max's desk. Turning away, he exhaled sharply and looked out the wide windows covering the right wall of the classroom. He did his best to clear his mind before the class started.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Mr. Jefferson returned and quickly took order and shooed out everyone who wasn't supposed to be in his classroom. Warren and a few other students hastily made their retreat and even though he did his best to remain focused, Kevin's attention soon wandered. As Mr. Jefferson droned on, his thoughts went back to Kate and he silently cursed himself for his inaction. Suddenly one of the jocks burst into the room and before Mr. Jefferson could react the interloper called out to everyone in the class.

"Yo! Some crazy shit is going down at the girls' dorm! Check it!"

"Zachary, do not come into my class like that ever again-" and with that, despite Mr. Jefferson's protests, the class quickly emptied. While his classmates left the room in a mass exodus, Kevin shrugged and remained seated. However, as Max slowly rose from her seat and collected her things, his interest rose slightly. Mr. Jefferson turned to look at his two remaining students and shook his head slowly.

"Well, at least you two are still here… I suppose a class of two is better than-" Their teacher was cut off mid-sentence as Max darted out the door and headed after the rest of the class. Speechless, Mr. Jefferson turned towards Kevin and sighed heavily as he removed his glasses to clean them for a moment. As he put them back on, he motioned towards the door, resigning himself to an empty classroom.

"Class dismissed…"

Kevin grabbed his laptop bag and bolted out the class and tore down the hallways like a force of nature as he tried to catch up to Max and the other students. Barely noticing the light rain that fell around him, he ran through the mostly empty campus. He felt his stomach tighten as a dreadful sense of foreboding crept into his mind.

The open area in front of the dorms was crowded students who were excitedly talking amongst themselves and most of them were looking up towards the roof. As Kevin followed their gaze, he felt his heart go cold as he watched in what seemed like slow motion as Kate stepped off of the edge of the roof and fell.

"Max!" Kevin found himself screaming, hoping that she was nearby. Kate plummeted towards the earth and she hit the ground hard—cries of shock and surprise erupted around him. He felt something within his soul break. Thankfully that pain was replaced with one more familiar, though more intense than ever.

A shockwave of intense agony rippled through his body and an entirely new sensation attacked him. Kevin doubled over as searing pain tore through his head and he watched Kate's fall in reverse. But as soon as she was back on the roof, she dove towards the ground. Screaming from the torment, he found himself on his knees as his entire body shook.

The blinding torture only intensified as he slowly curled up on the wet grass. Unable to breathe, his screaming faltered to a pathetic whimper as he felt time shift again and again. He was drowning in an ocean of suffering and just when he felt as if he could take no more, his mind breached through the surface. The ringing in his ears stopped immediately and he felt numb as the pain vanished. As he uneasily got back to his feet, he became acutely aware of several trickling sensations all over his face.

After a few sensitive inspections with his hands, he discovered that not only was his nose bleeding profusely but he also had blood trickling out of his ears. As he stared in horror at his bloodied hands, he immediately became aware of the piercing silence that was overwhelming him. As he looked around, he froze in shock.

Everything and everyone around him had frozen in place. Every single person stood motionless. Individual droplets of rain hung suspended in the air. His heart and mind raced as he quickly became overwhelmed by the scene. Taking a tentative step forward, he nearly fell over himself in surprise when he heard someone grunt in effort.

"Max!" Calling out to his friend, he rushed through the motionless forms of his peers and found Max struggling to stay on her feet as she held her right arm out in front of her. Her entire body was shaking from effort and thick red blood trickled out of her nose, slightly diluted by the wetness of her face.

"Kate." Seemingly oblivious to him, Max struggled a few steps towards the door to the dormitories and nearly collapsed. Kevin's eyes shot towards the roof where Kate still stood frozen in place. "We have to get to Kate," Max pleaded weakly.

Needing no further encouragement, and no longer worrying about anything but the task at hand, Kevin scooped Max up in his arms and carried her towards the dorms. He kicked the door open and tore through the halls towards the stairwell.

Bursting into the stairwell, he attacked the steps with fury and his ears were assaulted by the heavy echoes of his efforts as they contrasted starkly against his eerily silent surroundings. Each successive step drained him and his arms began to burn with effort. Max shook in his arms and struggled against her own inner turmoil as he bounded up the stairs. Gasping every so often in pain, her suffering steeled his resolve even though his strength was faltering at an alarming rate. As he reached the top of the stairs, his resolve failed him completely and he collapsed heavily on the landing.

Max untangled herself from his arms with some effort and struggled to her feet. Kevin watched as she wrestled with the heavy door that led out onto the roof. As she opened it, the dull light from the overcast sky washed over him. He could see Kate on the ledge of the roof, still frozen in time like the rest of the world.

Kevin's vision clouded as darkness flirted at the edges of his vision. His hold on consciousness unsteady, he nonetheless felt reality reform as Max struggled with her powers. Kevin found it odd that he could feel her attempts to time shift but to his surprise and elation they weren't causing him any pain. As his vision slowly faded to black, he saw Kate turn around to face Max and her eyes went wide with surprise.

"Kate…" Her name came out of his lips like a ghostly whisper as he willed himself to remain awake but in the end his efforts were futile as the darkness closed around him.

* * *

Kevin awoke with a start and it took a few moments for him to realize that he had just been dreaming. Realizing quickly that he wasn't in his own bed, he scanned his surroundings for clues. Looking to his right as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, he relaxed immediately. Above and to his right, a string of electric Chinese lanterns hung along the wall that was covered in a collage of polaroid photographs.

 _This has to be Max's room… but why am I here?_

His memories returned to him in a flash, but they only added to his anxiety. Quickly jumping out of Max's bed he became overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness as he tried to stand. Exhaling slowly, he sat back down and did his best to keep his unsteady feet firmly planted on the still moving floor.

He remained like that for several moments until a snuffling sound caught his attention from the far right of the room. Looking over, he discovered the source of the disturbance to be a pet white rabbit rustling about in its cage. _I'm not sure if I'm surprised_ that _Max has a pet rabbit or if I expected it. Cute little guy though._ Kevin plunged his face into his hands and willed his dizziness abate.

As he sat, fragments of his dreams returned to him in a disjointed mess. He had perfectly recalled everything only moments ago, but now there were only fragmented images that made little sense. Images of white armored soldiers, strange craft screeching through the air, a strange city half destroyed and on fire, a man in black wielding a glowing sword, but the most prominent image he recalled was a terrifyingly realistic image of Chloe laying on the ground, covered in blood.

Shaking the image out of his mind, he ran his hands through his thick hair. It would soon be time for a haircut. His bangs were almost in his eyes and his hair was beginning to overcome his ears. His musings about his hair weren't doing enough to distract him from the lingering images of his nightmare so he focused on his surroundings.

Off to his right, Max's desk had a small laptop that sadly didn't seem to be designed with gaming in mind. Between the desk and the bed, he noticed a small dresser perpendicular to the bed that was tucked away in a fold of the wall. The top of the dresser was dominated by a large stereo and above the dresser was a large wall mounted shelf that was filled with textbooks.

Even though the room's lack of symmetry bothered him, he liked how she had managed to compensate for it and maximize the amount of space she had. To the left of her desk was a small shelving unit that had various odds and ends haphazardly stored within. In between her desk and the shelves, there was a stack of CDs which bothered him even further due to its apparent lack of sensible order.

Further to the left was a large leafy green plant—apparently named 'Lisa', denoted by an adorable name tag on its base. He didn't know enough about plants to know what type it was, but he did know enough to notice that it was well watered and healthy. A large water bottle sat on the windowsill directly behind the plant. _Why buy a watering can when oversized bottled water exists? Very efficient, Max._ The large rabbit cage was on the floor next to the plant but along the adjacent wall. The sole occupant of the cage stared back at him with interest, its nose twitching rapidly.

Behind the rabbit cage was the room's wall mounted heating unit and directly to the left was a small lime-green end table that clashed with the rest of the room starkly. The damned thing was just too bright, it just didn't fit in with everything else. A large black ergonomic lightweight couch with a wooden frame filled the rest of that side of the room. Kevin was surprised because even the introverted Max Caulfield had a couch in her room.

 _Am I the only person here who doesn't have a damned couch in my room?_ To his further surprise, he noticed an acoustic guitar leaning against the left side of the couch. _I'll be damned. A photographer, a musician, and a time-bending magician, I wonder what else she can do?_

Shaking the thought from his head, he contemplated again at how Max hadn't developed an interest in gaming. The act of playing instruments and playing video games utilized the same part of the brain, so perhaps she just had never been introduced to them? Shrugging, he peered into Max's half-open closet to the left of the couch was filled with faded jeans, cute and quirky T-shirts, and bland hoodies, he had never seen her wear anything but.

A small mirror to his left, just to the left of the room's single door, reflected his haggard visage. _Holy shit, I look like hell. I'm almost as pale as that rabbit_. Looking away with discomfort, his left hand brushed against something soft and he turned to look and smiled. _Of course, Max has a teddy bear in her bed. Adorable._ Turning to gaze outside of one of the room's two windows, he was pleased to see that the gloominess of the rain had passed and that the fabled 'golden hour' was fast approaching. He wondered absentmindedly how long he had been unconscious and how Max had managed to transport him here after—

His thoughts froze in his head as a new wave of anxiety flooded through him. _Kate!_ Feeling sick, he struggled to his feet and made a second attempt to stand but after a few unsteady steps, he collapsed onto Max's couch and made no further attempts to move. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Wondering exactly how much blood he lost from his earlier experience, Kevin probed his face to discover that Max must have taken the time to cleanse his skin of the gore that marred it. His thoughts went back to Kate, his stomach turned over on itself. The lump in his pocket that was his cell phone finally added itself to his awareness. His unsteady hands fumbled with it and he saw a score of missed calls and text messages.

Several were from Olivia but he skipped over those and went straight to the half a dozen that Max sent him. Relief flooded over him as he read the first message: _Kate is safe._ Skimming over the rest, he discovered that, according to Max, Nathan Prescott had been suspended. Better yet, Kate was safe and sound and headed for the hospital for recovery. Her final message insisted that he rest and not worry, she would explain everything when she returned. Kevin took a moment before checking the rest of his messages as a new feeling of warmth spread throughout his body and his mind found a sense of peace. Kate was safe.

The missed calls had all been from Olivia and all of her text messages were concerns related to the moment when Max had used her powers to freeze time. Shaking his head, he wondered how Olivia's experiences during the event had compared to his own. She and Charlie were on their way to Blackwell, so it couldn't have been that bad. Almost every message implored him to contact them as soon as possible.

Sighing, he realized that his lack of responses had probably caused a great deal of worry but then again, they also had Max's and Chloe's numbers as well. Chloe wouldn't have been very helpful but Max surely would have told them something. Mentally shrugging, he supposed that everything would be sorted out once the FBI agents arrived, if they hadn't already. He sent a quick text to Olivia to let her know that he was okay. He was immediately rewarded with a response acknowledging his message and she reported that they were a few minutes away. He started to tap out a response but nearly dropped his phone as Max burst into her room.

Her eyes immediately went to the bed and flashed in panic when she found it empty. With such a small room to search, she caught sight of him sprawled on the couch after only a few seconds of distress and relaxed.

"Oh, thank goodness. I… we were so worried about you!" She quickly shut her door and proceeded to hover over him with obvious concern. "Are you feeling any better?" Even though it had been almost impossible to not notice Max's correction mid-sentence, he didn't have the strength to tease her about it at the moment.

"We? Who's we?" he asked instead and she sat down next to him much closer than he would have expected.

"Everyone! Me, Kate, Olivia, Warren, the other agents—" Kevin raised a hand to stop her and she trailed off.

"Kate?"

She smiled knowingly as he focused on one name in particular. "Yes, Kate! She saw you passed out on the stairs after I talked her off the ledge and she was super concerned. I… didn't know what to say when she saw all of the blood so I just told her that you passed out running up with me for some reason and must have hit your nose when you fell… I know it's lame but I didn't know what else to say!"

"No, it's fine." Even though it indeed was a lame explanation and it really made him seem pathetic, it probably had been the best explanation. Max relaxed slightly but she must have seen the look of disappointment spread across his face because she nudged him playfully and smiled.

"Don't worry, she still thinks you're her 'everyday hero.' You totally have to visit her in the hospital though. She was really worried about you. Oh, and sorry about bringing you here… Kate helped me carry you down here. She's way stronger than I am but you're still super heavy and my room was closer than yours."

"Max, it's fine. I was confused at first but when I saw your photo wall I realized where I was. I'm not sure if I'm surprised that you have a cute little bunny or not though."

"That's Alice. She's Kate's. I'm looking after her while Kate recovers." Max turned to look affectionately at the rabbit and when she faced him again she wore a troubled look. "I hope she'll be okay…"

Kevin instinctively put his arm around Max to comfort her and she accepted the embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. Despite the comfort that he felt from the hug, he felt a little awkward and like he was stepping over a boundary that he shouldn't be. Max must have felt the same way because she let out a sigh and broke the silence.

"Warren would get super jealous if he saw us like this," mumbled Max. Kevin smiled despite the awkwardness and even though Max had felt it too she had made no effort to move away.

"You mean Chloe, right?" he asked. Max stiffened and pulled away. He smiled as he saw her flush a fiery red. "I knew it!" He declared in triumph and was rewarded with a stern glare from his friend.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, unwilling to admit anything yet.

"Come on, Max. You two are totally crushing on each other!" Max's face lit up for a moment but quickly became shrouded in doubt.

"Really?" She sounded hesitant yet hopeful. It was as plain as day now. She had at some point or perhaps had always thought of her best friend as something more but for any number of reasons hadn't realized it or had felt that her feelings weren't being reciprocated.

"Yes, really! Every time I get close to you Chloe gets all tense and protective. She's totally into you." Max's face brightened as he spoke and a warm smile spread across her face. Her posture relaxed significantly as she seemingly became a different person right before his eyes.

Gone was the introverted and shy Max Caulfield and before him sat someone else.

"And you do this thing with your mouth when you look at her or when you think about her… yeah, what you are doing right now." The moment passed, however, as Max's phone caught her attention. After regarding it for a second, she looked back at him as the old Max and told him that Olivia and Charlie had arrived. Nodding, Kevin struggled unsteadily to his feet and did his best to walk normally.

He must have failed miserably because by the time he had made it outside of the dorm room Max was close beside him, supporting him. Their progress down the hallway was painstakingly slow. When they passed an opened door, one of the room's occupants rushed out. _Perfect._

"Oh my god, Max! Is he okay? What did you do to him?" _What hasn't she done to me?_

The extremely attractive girl darted around him to help Max shuffle him down the hallway. The pleasing aroma of the girl's perfume wafted up to Kevin's nose at her nearness and, upon closer inspection, he noticed that she was an expert at applying makeup, which only amplified her alluring features. She wore a black low-cut top that hung loosely and lopsidedly, revealing some of her left shoulder and a fair amount of cleavage. Feeling slightly awkward, he did his best to keep his eyes low and lingered on her jeans that were ripped and torn to reveal strong and athletic legs. _Probably one of the cheerleaders… Never would have thought that Max would make friends with one of them… Surprise, surprise._

"It's not like that, Dana! He hurt himself rushing to help me save Kate…"

"Relax, girlfriend. I'm only teasing. I never believed that crap Victoria flung around about you two… Kevin, right? Thanks so much for helping Max rescue Kate. She needs more friends like you guys."

"Stop beating yourself up over it, Dana." Max chided.

"I'm not, Max. I just want you to know that from now on I've got your back, Kate's too. So where are we headed?"

"Just outside so I can get some fresh air." Kevin appreciated her assistance but if she followed them all the way to the parking lot that would make for an awkward conversation later if she realized that two FBI agents were picking him up.

Luckily the trio made their way through the dorms and outside without running into anyone else and they thanked Dana for her help. She hugged Max and thanked her again for being there for Kate and then, after a moment of hesitation, did the same to Kevin. Feeling embarrassed from the attention, Kevin did his best to shake off the experience as Dana went back inside. After some much needed rest, he and Max continued on towards the parking lot.

They hobbled through the campus with Kevin leaning on Max for support but no one paid them any attention. Relief flooded through Kevin as focused on a single step at a time.

But it wasn't that the other students ignored them. They all stared fixedly at the horizon. Kevin turned to see what caught their undivided attention. He nearly stumbled as he gaped at the horizon.

"Oh yeah… there's also that," Max mumbled as she noticed him staring in disbelief at the sky. Kevin looked on in shock as he watched the moon gradually pass in front of the setting sun. _A solar eclipse… What the fuck?_

"Don't these kinds of things happen on an extremely predictable schedule? I heard nothing about this."

"Yeah. Warren is super confused about it. He said that one wasn't supposed to happen for a really long time. Yet, here we are," said Max. Kevin shook his head lightly and did his best to focus all of his energy into walking once again.

Their progress was slow but steady. Despite the fresh air and the companionship, he still wasn't starting to feel any better. Max must have shared his worry because as they drew closer and closer to the parking lot, she quickened her pace even though she was struggling to support him.

Luckily for her, Charlie and Olivia came running and took over for Max, carrying him efficiently to the back seat of their vehicle. Max thanked them and hurried around the vehicle to jumped in the other side. Charlie got behind the wheel and Olivia was about to get into the front passenger seat when one of the school security guards ran up. Olivia checked her movement and intercepted him.

"Great… that's David Madsen." Max groaned.

"Who?" Kevin asked in confusion as he leaned over to get a better look. He recognized the man as the head of security who had been harassing Kate the other day.

"Chloe's step-father." _Step-father? No wonder Chloe hates him…_

"For fuck's sake… no wonder she calls him her step-douche." Max nodded as the two watched Olivia and David Madsen argue.

"Yeah… it fits." Max agreed.

The argument must have reached a breaking point because Olivia impatiently flashed her badge and Chloe's step-father froze and stared at the badge for a moment. He slowly turned towards the car and Charlie waved mockingly. David seemed to stammer an apology and exchanged a few hasty words with Olivia. The two appeared to exchange numbers and she quickly made her way back towards the vehicle, shaking her head. As soon as she was securely inside, Charlie sped off, leaving Blackwell Academy and the dumbfounded David Madsen far behind.

"What was all that about, Livvy?" Charlie asked as he expertly maneuvered through the light traffic. Before answering, she turned towards Max and smiled at her warmly.

"Sorry… but he wouldn't let you two leave with us so I had to let him know where he stood." Max seemed completely unfazed and smiled back. Kevin found himself smiling despite how he felt. "He shouldn't bother you two anymore… and he has offered his complete and total support in our investigation and is going to turn over all of his 'evidence' to us when he gets a chance."

As Charlie drove on, Max proceeded to tell Olivia everything she knew about David Madsen. Kevin sat silently and focused on her words as he closed his eyes and did his best to ignore the creeping sensation of motion sickness that was beginning to form in his stomach.

According to Max, Chloe's stepfather had a 'surveillance fetish' and not only wanted to surround the campus with security cameras but also had security cameras in almost every room of his own home. He also had some weird files on a few students at home and a folder filled with pictures of Kate Marsh. He was a former soldier and always at odds with his step-daughter and, apparently, had quite the collection of firearms. When asked how she knew all this, Max admitted, with some shyness, that she had snooped around his stuff when she was last at Chloe's house.

"Sounds a lot like you, Livvy," Charlie commented. A spatter of forced pleasantries soon gave way to an uncomfortable silence. Olivia's face turned grim, her hard, demanding expression bore down on Max.

"What did you do?" Olivia's words came out with the deliberate care of an expert interrogator, softened so as not to sound like an accusation. Max hesitated for a moment but she recounted what had happened with Kate and how after struggling to use her powers to rewind time, she had somehow managed to freeze time completely. She also explained how Kevin suffered immensely from the experience. It was quiet for a time and he felt as if everyone was looking at him. He opened his eyes and waved off everyone's concerns with some effort.

"It was worth it. She saved Kate from jumping," Kevin stated firmly.

Max nodded slightly and squeezed his hand as he closed his eyes once more. He knew that he was right but he hoped she hadn't made things worse by such an extreme use of her powers.

* * *

Kevin stumbled awake as Max carefully shook his shoulder. He looked around blearily and shrugged off her apologies for waking him. He exited the vehicle refreshed and stronger. That lasted for all of two seconds. _So much for feeling stronger…_

Olivia was quick on her feet, at his side in moments, to keep him from collapsing to the concrete driveway.

"Come on, tough guy," Charlie said, reaching over and pulling one of Kevin's arms around his shoulder for support. He led Kevin into the house and helped him down the stairs to the basement, the two exchanging only a _few_ barbed comments.

Charlie helped Kevin onto the couch and Max sat close to him. They sat quietly in the room that now hummed with several more computer stations and indistinguishable equipment.

"Walter?" Olivia said, glancing around the room, then took off in search of him.

Peter soon appeared with a glum Walter in tow and they performed a quick examination of Kevin. They checked his heart rate, blood pressure, his pupils' reaction to different stimuli, took some more blood from him, to his dismay, and ran a few other tests that he had never encountered before. It wasn't long before Walter was grumbling to himself and Peter chuckled ld in response.

"The prognosis is... you need to have something to eat and drink," said Peter.

"Is that it?" Max asked in obvious relief.

"Well, it's a start at any rate!" Walter exclaimed loudly and seemed to have surprised himself because he smiled meekly and then went back to work examining something. Max rushed upstairs in compliance and Kevin leaned back and closed his eyes once more as his body sunk comfortably into the couch.

 _I ate plenty of food earlier today… How the hell could that be what's wrong with me?_

* * *

Kevin was escorted back up to the kitchen and Olivia watched over the boy as he attacked the food that was prepared for him with vigor. Walter brought her observations to a halt, calling for her from the basement. He had something to show her. Peter's expression was thoughtful as she approached and Walter motioned toward one of the powerful microscopes that had been set up. After peering at a mundane looking blood sample, she sighed and looked at them with curiosity and reported that it seemed normal.

"Well, it is normal Agent Dunham. That is Chloe's blood, as expected," he said, inserting a second slide into the microscope. "Take a look at that now, please." She bent over once again and after a thorough and frustrating examination she again turned to Walter, this time with some annoyance.

"Am I missing something this time? Because this looks exactly like the one before it."

"It's not exactly the same, but, no, you aren't missing anything, Agent Dunham. That's Max's blood and it is also quite normal." He now inserted a third slide with a shaky flourish of nervous excitement. He motioned for her to look once more and as she did, she immediately noticed something strange.

"Is this Kevin's blood?" she asked. There were several groups of cells that hadn't appeared in the previous slides. She had seen some strange things in her time with the Fringe team but she hadn't seen anything quite like this before. "What are these, Walter?"

"I have no idea," Walter giggled excitedly, "but if I had to guess, I would say that what we are looking at is a mutation that somehow allows Kevin to shield himself from the effects of Max's powers." Olivia thought on this for a moment and turned to face Walter, who was now full of exhilaration.

"But what about, Max?" asked Olivia.

Walter's excitement increased tenfold and he rushed off and grabbed a piece of makeshift equipment that looked like a large skeleton of a metal hat made up of metal rods and wires.

"I would like to scan her brain!" Walter was always excited when it came to scanning someone's brain but Olivia didn't share his excitement due to what it usually involved.

"Walter… are you going to drill holes into her head and give her LSD?" At this, Walter's face grew incredibly serious and his tone hardened.

"Absolutely not! That was a one-time situation!" His excitement vanished as he grew thoughtful. Walter lost himself in his thoughts and pondered aloud, "A small amount of LSD would certainly help though."

"Walter, you never showed her the fourth slide," Peter interjected.

Turning towards Peter, she forgot her concerns for the moment and looked at him with mild confusion.

"What? Oh yes!" Walter put down his creation and quickly produced a fourth slide of a blood sample and inserted it into the microscope.

"A fourth sample, from who?" Her question had been entirely unnecessary. She recognized the anomalies within Kevin's blood. They were much more noticeable this time and were grouped closer together. Some had apparently grown in size as well. "Is this the blood you drew from Kevin recently?"

"Very good, Agent Dunham. As you can see those mysterious little cells have clustered together and some of them aren't so little anymore. Some have even become more complicated! If you watch long enough, you might even see one or two of them conduct mitosis!"

Olivia froze and turned back to face him, not surprised by the childish excitement that had overtaken him again. "Those cells are replicating?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Walter turned to his son and was slightly dismayed that he did not share his excitement. Not one to be brought down by others, he skipped around the room until he found his stash of licorice and took on an instructing tone.

"Now, I theorize that due to the immense trauma that he suffered when our young Max brought time to a screeching halt, his curious little cells were forced to respond and they began to replicate. He did report that after some time he no longer felt any pain so I believe that this is due to the rapid response of those cells." Walter paced the room for as long as it took for him to devour a strand of licorice, as if they needed a demonstration of said rapid response. Or maybe he needed a burst of sugar to get through the rest of the explanation. "Due to the rapid replication of these cells, they depleted his body's energy reserves causing him to be become faint and lose consciousness."

"So, what you're saying is that once he eats and rests for a bit he's going to be back to normal?" Peter summarized as he ran his hand over the day-old stubble on his chin.

"Well, certainly not back to normal, as far as we're concerned, but his feelings of dizziness should pass and his strength should return, if that's what you're asking," responded Walter and Peter held up his hands with a dismissive shake of his head.

"Right, whatever… So even though we know a little bit more about Kevin… we still have no clue what's going on with Max… or how about that crazy solar eclipse?" Peter's question hung in the air as Walter nibbled thoughtfully on his candy. Turning to his son in mild surprise, as if he hadn't realized that the question had been directed at him, he finished chewing before answering.

"All I have are theories, Peter. Just theories… but I hope once we take a look at what's going on inside this young lady's brain, I will be able to rule some of them out."

Olivia looked Walter dead in the eye and held his gaze once his attention became focused on her.

"And no drugs?"

Walter seemed taken aback by her question but shook his head all the same and replied that he wouldn't use any drugs on Max during the experiment, even though they would certainly improve the results. With that formality out the way, Olivia turned towards the stairs and pondered how she would ask Max to consent to having her brain scanned by Dr. Walter Bishop.

* * *

Buttery peppered corn, zesty teriyaki chicken, and steaming rice surrounded Kevin. Submerged in heavenly paradise, he feasted. Once he had smelled the food that was being prepared for him, he had realized exactly how hungry he was. He felt as if he hadn't eaten in days, which was somewhat disturbing but as soon as he started eating his worries fled his mind. Max made him a sloppy peanut butter sandwich but Charlie had cunningly anticipated that this would not be enough and had heated up some of the leftover food from earlier.

Max sat across the table from him and sipped her coffee and started giggling as he ravenously attacked his second ear of steamed corn.

"Behold, the Canadian beaver, a truly proud and noble animal!" Max declared aloud, a childish grin dominating her face. Kevin rewarded her jest with a quick glare but continued to devour his food all the same. Sighing wistfully, Max cradled her steaming cup and stared into it, dreamy eyed. "You're just like Chloe."

Using his napkin to wipe some of the pepper off of his face, Kevin quickly swallowed his food.

"And you're so adorable when you're crushing on Chloe." Her face reddened noticeably but she smiled nonetheless, having come to terms with her attraction to her best friend.

Kevin couldn't help but mimic his friends' smile as he watched an avalanche of emotions assault the freckle-faced girl. Turning his attention back to his food, he cut off another piece of his grilled chicken and devoured it.

Olivia had entered the kitchen while they were talking and she smiled at them as she walked past. Her smiles, even though genuine, always seemed forced for some reason. It was almost as if she lacked the muscle memory of a smile. Kevin wondered how hard and miserable her life must be or must have been for such a thing to happen.

Olivia sat down with Charlie in the adjacent family room and spoke softly to him as if to avoid her words being heard by his nearby niece. Her efforts were, though admirable, in vain. Kimberly eavesdropped with practiced ease. Wondering if she could even hear anything that either of the two were saying, Kevin focused his own hearing and gave up when it was clear that he wouldn't be able to discern anything. As he returned his attention towards his food once again to cut off another slice of chicken, Olivia stood and slowly moved towards the table where he and Max sat.

"Max, would you come downstairs please? Walter would like to speak to you." Olivia's tone implied Walter wanted to do more than just speak to Max.

"Sure," Max consented, abandoning Kevin and her half-finished cup of coffee. She followed Olivia downstairs. Kevin quickly shoveled the rest of his chicken into his mouth and rushed to follow.

Max was seated in a wooden chair in the center of the room. She was surrounded by computer equipment while Walter carefully secured a metallic device to her head that had several wires attached to it. Max shifted uneasily in the chair when their eyes met and he saw that they were full of fear. Peter must have noticed Kevin tense and move towards Max with dogged determination because he grabbed him firmly by the shoulder.

"Relax, kiddo. We're not going to hurt her," said Peter. Kevin gave Peter a sidelong glance and then turned back to Max as Walter attached another wire to her head. "Right, Walter?"

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous! Although you may want to wash your hair after this, my dear. Don't worry, the glue will come out easily with hot water," said Walter. He grabbed a piece of licorice from a jar that contained several more of the red strands and offered it to Max. "Licorice?"

She hesitantly accepted the candy and, with some slight prodding from Walter, she slowly began to eat it. Walter asked if she liked it and she nodded as she continued to munch away, devouring the entire strand. Kevin eyed the jar of licorice wolfishly and, as he took a seat on the couch, he asked if he could have some.

"Absolutely not!" Walter's harsh response startled everyone in the room and he forced himself to relax as he continued to connect wires to Max's head. "When you get your brain scanned, then and only then, am I going to share my licorice with you! Would you like some more, young lady?" Max nodded as she accepted another piece. Smiling slyly, she winked as she discretely stuffed half of it into her hoodie pocket. Smiling, Kevin looked around the room to see if anyone else had noticed Max's sleight of hand. From the smiles that Peter and Olivia were both sharing, they certainly had, but they made no move to inform Walter.

Having finished with his task, Walter set to work fine-tuning the equipment around Max. She wore a brave face but Kevin could tell that she was nervous and he wished that there was room around her so he could sit next to her and offer his support.

"Don't worry, my dear. This will be completely painless. I just want to see what is going on inside your head." Max swallowed and nodded bravely, as she did the equipment on her head rattled. Once all of the computers and tech had been turned on, Walter rushed over towards a monitor and began to type in commands into a keyboard. "This will take a few moments but do not fear… It shall all be over soon."

Several minutes later, Walter grumbled to himself as he stared at his monitor and Peter walked over to see what was bothering him.

"Everything seems to be normal. There's nothing unusual going on inside her brain!" Walter cried out in frustration as he glared at his monitor.

"That's good, right?" Max asked with obvious relief.

"No, it's not! We still have no idea how you are able to control time. There must be an explanation!" Walter shot back. Peter did his best to calm his father down but Walter ignored him completely as a new idea took shape in his mind. "Young man, could you please come over here for a moment?" It took Kevin a moment to realize that Walter was talking to him, but, once he did, he made his way over to where Walter and Peter were standing on the other side of the room, careful not to trip over any of the equipment.

"What are you thinking, Walter?" Peter asked as he looked at his father cautiously but Walter continued to ignore his son and turned towards Max.

"Young lady, if you would be so kind I would like you to demonstrate your abilities for—" Peter cut him off before he could finish his request.

"Whoa, Walter, didn't you say it was best that she use her powers as little as possible?"

"Yes, I did, but that was before she so recklessly went and froze time. The repercussions of that event alone could perhaps far exceed everything else she has done," explained Walter. Peter sighed and Kevin caught the glare that Olivia shot Walter as if she too felt that he was being far too harsh on Max.

Max remained silent and cast her gaze onto the ground, her expression a mixture of guilt and sadness. Kevin was proud that he detected no sense of regret on his friend's face. She had saved Kate and that's all he cared about.

"Now, if you could be so kind as to rewind time for us. And you… young man… I want you to pay strict attention to this image of her brain and point out everything that you see while she is doing this just in case the equipment fails to detect anything when time normalizes."

Nodding, Kevin focused on the screen that showed a three-dimensional image of Max's brain. He turned towards Max, who seemed even more nervous than she did before. Her her face was a bit more flushed than it usually was and her pupils seemed to be dilated slightly. _Probably just nerves…_

"Ready?" he asked and she nodded, causing the device on her head to rattle again and she held out her hand in front of her. Kevin returned his eyes to the screen as he felt the room shift. The experience was much more surreal than it had ever been before.

Without the overwhelming sensations of pain and agony assaulting him, he almost didn't mind the experience. Sure, everything felt a little strange, but as he focused on the depiction of his friend's brain, he watched a few areas flare up in bright colors of activity. He focused on the brightest points of activity and placed his fingertips on the screen where they were located.

Olivia grunted in effort and, when he turned towards her, he discovered that she was doubled over in pain, barely able to stand. Max must have noticed this too because as he was about to call out to her the room shifted again and the feelings and strange sensations vanish. Olivia gasped in shock as time normalized, causing both Peter and Walter to rush to her side as she fell to her knees. Walter looked towards Max in shock, understanding what must have happened.

"Why did you do that?" he growled angrily at Max and as his harsh words struck home she recoiled visibly.

"Because you told her to, Walter." Olivia groaned.

Peter helped Olivia to her feet as she shook off what must have been a traumatic experience. Kevin pitied her—he knew all too well how she felt. Relief flooded through his body and he hoped that whatever had happened to him when Max had frozen time would stay the way it was. He never wanted to go through agony like that ever again.

"Oh, right. That makes sense. Ah!" Walter forgot Olivia's state and rushed over to where Kevin was standing with his fingers still pressed against the monitor. "I must have told you to keep an eye on the young lady's brain for me due to your unique abilities, well?" Kevin removed his fingers from the screen and noticed that there was still a fair amount of activity but nothing compared to what he had seen before. "Fascinating…"

"If you like that, you'll love to hear that there was a heck of a lot more going on when she was actually rewinding time," Kevin informed him. Walter looked at him for a moment and his face lit up with wonder and excitement and he turned back to study the monitor.

"Well, young lady, it seems that your limbic system, specifically your hippocampus and your frontal lobe, probably the prefrontal cortex, and areas in your parietal lobe all have massive amounts of activity when you trigger your abilities. I can only imagine what must have been going on inside your head when you actually froze time…" Walter's voice trailed off in wonder, his gaze still glued to the monitor.

"Those parts of the brain primarily deal with… memory and emotion?" Peter asked. He cast a sidelong glance toward Olivia who smiled awkwardly at the attention. She insisted that she was fine.

"You are correct, my son. It would seem that however our young friend is able to reverse time, that it is a rather emotional experience. Or, perhaps, some very intense emotions are allowing her to do it. Even though I doubt that she is accessing her memories to do so, I find the activity in those areas intriguing nonetheless," Walter's voice trailed off. He became entirely absorbed in his own thoughts.

Before they could go on discussing their findings, Max shifted in her seat and Kevin saw how unsteady she was. Her face was more flushed than it had been earlier and her pupils had grown in size.

"I feel… weird," Max mumbled as Kevin made his way over to her, almost tripping over a few cables along the way. He knelt down in front of her and steadied her by placing his hands on either side of her shoulders. As he asked her what was wrong, she focused on his face and he watched a strange smile creep across her face.

"I feel… tingly and warm… and kind of light…" Hearing this, Peter rushed over to them and turned to face his father after inspecting Max. His face clouded in anger.

"You drugged her, didn't you?" Jumping at the accusation, Walter's gaze darted to his stash of licorice for a moment before turning back to face his son.

"It was necessary for the experiment! I only gave her a small amount of LSD—she will be fine." Max, entirely unworried, removed the half strand of licorice from her hoodie's pocket and stared at it numbly for a moment before gingerly handing it to Kevin. He regarded it for a moment before turning to look up at Peter who grimaced when he realized how Walter had so sneakily managed to drug Max in preparation for the experiment.

"You probably shouldn't eat that. We should have guessed that you would have LSD coated candy, Walter." Sighing, Peter motioned to Kevin that he required his help and together they removed every wire that Walter had glued to her head and dismantled the metal device.

"Walter! I thought we talked about this!" Olivia had recovered and her voice was full of fury and was certainly not taking the situation as easily as Peter was. "You said you wouldn't drug her and you did!"

"I lied," Walter stated in a rough voice. "It was necessary for the experiment and we learned a great deal, Agent Dunham. Besides… it looks as if she's enjoying the experience. Wouldn't you say so, Peter?"

"That's not the point!" Olivia responded with haste. As she and Walter argued, Peter assisted Kevin with moving Max over to the couch.

Max wore a bewildered expression on her face and as she sat down she struggled to take off her grey hoodie. Kevin realized for the first time that her white t-shirt had a stylistic image of a running doe on the front. Thinking back to the day before, he remembered that she had been wearing a pink shirt that also had an image of a doe on it. _I guess she really likes deer_.

Max looked around the room with a enchanted look on her face as if she was seeing the world through a new set of eyes. Walter and Olivia continued to argue and Kevin watched as Max's expression was changed. A sense of anxiousness crept across her face as she stared fixedly at the argument from across the room. Peter caught on as well and he motioned to Kevin to help him and offered that they should take Max somewhere quieter while she recovered. Nodding in agreement, Kevin helped Max to her feet and he noticed that as she accepted his embrace she was warmer than he would have expected and she seemed much less awkward about their closeness as he and Peter helped her upstairs.

They assisted her to one of the upstairs bedrooms and she thanked them as she sank into the bed. Peter departed and made his way downstairs. As Kevin turned to leave as well, he heard Max whine in protest.

"Stay… I'm a little scared…"

"Don't worry, Max. I'm just going to get you some water and then I'll be right back, okay?" Kevin reassured her.

Max nodded and she kicked off her shoes, struggling as she removed her socks. He turned to leave the room again and was startled to hear someone racing up the stairs. He was nearly trampled by Peter in the room's doorway.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Peter asked as he shoved two bottles of water into Kevin's hands.

"I was going to get her some water… but I guess that's already done, eh?" Kevin responded. Patting his shoulders with both hands, Peter spun him around and lightly pushed him back towards Max.

"Take care of her, kid, and let us know if she starts to have a bad trip." Peter turned to head downstairs but stopped at the top of the stairs as Kevin called after him.

"How will I know if she does?" Smiling grimly, Peter responded with a vague 'you'll know' response and disappeared from sight as he continued down the stairs.

Kevin offered Max one of the bottles of water and she accepted it, consuming its contents greedily. He placed the second on the nearby nightstand and looked around the room for a place to sit and grimaced. The bed was the sole piece of furniture in the room other than the nightstands, dresser and a desk that oddly had no chair at the moment. _They probably brought the chair downstairs for Walter's lab._ Sighing loudly, he made his way around the bed and lay down on the opposite end, as far away from Max as he could manage without falling off the edge.

Max, however, had other ideas.

Once she had finished her water, she reached over to him and tugged lightly on his sleeve. Her prodding was light at first but increased in intensity as he tried to ignore her. Turning to his friend, he saw that the scared look in her eyes had only intensified. His earlier discomfort forgotten, he moved closer to her. Max snuggled up to him and readily accepted his closeness. She was quite warm, and yet she shivered every so often in spite of this.

As time passed, the pair lay there in comforting silence. Kevin felt oddly at peace despite the awkwardness of the situation. Max's breathing soon became patterned and regulated. As he listened to the almost hypnotic sound of her shallow breaths, his drowsiness overtook him and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep. His dreams sprang forth to haunt him.


	8. Fracture

**Fracture**

Thick dark clouds of smoke billowed towards the sky. Even at this distance, the heat from the flames could be felt as the low white domed buildings burned fiercely. A low wind fed the flames and twisted and bent the plume of thick, pitch-black smoke to its will. Unmoving in the light breeze, two skeletal bodies were visible just outside one of the buildings.

Kevin looked upon the corpses without emotion because their deaths didn't matter at all. The only life that mattered to him lay motionless in his arms. Barely able to recognize the corpse he held tightly to his chest, he paced the desert aimlessly, ignoring the nearby inferno. Eventually his grief overtook him and he collapsed on the desert sand beneath him, regarding the mauled corpse that, despite its grotesqueness, he couldn't bring himself to let go.

The form was frail and petite. The skin had been seared off in most places and the body was covered in small lacerations and deeper gashes. The hair had been mostly burned off. Several fingers and toes were missing, and the right arm hung loosely from an obviously dislocated or broken shoulder. As horrifying as the sight was, nothing compared to the thing's eyes. They were pale and wide with fear and had lost most of their previously enchanting color. He tried to close them but his efforts were futile. Its eyelids had been cut or ripped clean off. The corpse's once youthful and beautiful face was covered in sticky gore and dried blood.

Having no memory of how long he had been holding the grotesque corpse to his chest, he defiantly refused to let go. His mind was plagued with grief as it fumbled to comprehend the savagery that had been unleashed upon someone who had been so precious to him. His heart collapsed in on itself in anguish as it pleaded that what he was seeing wasn't happening, wasn't real, wasn't true.

But it had happened. It was real. It was true. And slowly, his grief turned to anger. His sorrow turned to rage. His despair turned to hatred. He would kill those responsible for this. He would hunt them down one by one and make them suffer as they had made him. His loss would become theirs and he wouldn't stop until every single one of them was dead.

With agonizing slowness, he reverently placed the body on the ground. It had gone mostly stiff and seemed even more lifeless than it had before. It took time, but his dark emotions fueled his determination and he dug a shallow grave in the shifting sands with his bare hands. It took time, but he had all the time in the world. He held the unrecognizable form in his arms one last time as he placed it in the shallow grave. Unable to look at the ghastly sight anymore, he hastily covered it as painful hot tears streamed down his face.

The wind picked up as he stood and he did his best to shield his face from the sand and dust that assaulted his face. Wiping the tears from his cheeks, he stared off into the endless desert and swore to himself and to the corpse now buried in the sand that he would not rest until he had slaughtered everyone responsible. No one would escape his wrath, he would have his revenge… and so would—

"Kate!" Kevin awoke with a start as Max called out, struggling in his arms. She regained her composure and relaxed, leaning back into his arms. It didn't take long though for her to become uneasy with their closeness and the pair separated but neither made a move to get out of bed. Max was clearly lost in her own thoughts and Kevin's own thoughts swirled around him.

 _That thing from my dream, was that... Kate?_ He shuddered as images of the nightmare came back to him with merciless clarity. He did his best to cast them out of his mind. _It could have been… it could have been anyone._ Despite his lack of certainty, his mind superimposed Kate's likeness on the ghastly images causing waves of nausea to spread throughout his body. _It all felt so real. Like I had actually been there. What the hell is going on with my dreams? Why can't I just dream of fucking tornadoes like Max? Or normal shit at least._

Max seemed to sense that he was thinking about her. She regarded him for a moment, but whatever she was about to say was left unsaid. Her phone buzzed from her pocket and as she retrieved it she gasped in shock.

"It's past ten… are you cereal?" Kevin cast her an incredulous look for her butchering of the English language but said nothing as she smiled shyly at him. "We should probably get back to school. Thanks for you know…" Her words trailed off as she searched for the right words but he saw that she was having difficulty so he politely interjected.

"It's fine, Max. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're okay. How was it?" Visibly relieved, Max sat up hesitantly as if testing herself.

"It was… weird." She kicked her feet over the edge of the bed and replaced her shoes and socks. "But I'd rather not go through it again."

"That bad, eh?" he asked as he hopped to his feet. Max shivered as she looked around the room, rubbing her bare arms with her hands.

"No, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Where's my hoodie? It's freezing in here," said Max. Responding that it was probably still in the basement where she took it off, Kevin shook his head because to him the room was actually quite warm but followed her downstairs regardless.

While Max descended into the basement, Kevin paced around the empty kitchen and poked his head into the family room to discover Olivia sitting alone in the room working on her laptop.

"Can't sleep?" Kevin asked politely as he moved into the room and sat down in one of the reclining chairs.

"No, but it seems neither can either of you. How is she?" she nodded towards the basement door as she asked this even though it was obvious that she was speaking about Max.

"She seems fine." He responded, shrugging. Olivia nodded as she focused her gaze on him for a moment.

"But you don't." Her pointed and exacting remark caught him off balance for a moment. He shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze. Kevin didn't really want to explain that he was still a little shaken because he had a 'bad dream' but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was important, somehow. He began, slowly at first, Olivia listened intently, hanging on the edge of her seat.

"I had a pretty crazy dream, still trying to shake it off. Don't worry, it was normal crazy, not end of the world crazy like you and Max. At least… I think." Olivia's expression made no signs of changing and for a moment he expected her to call him a liar or ask him to go into further detail, which he really didn't want to do. Thankfully, she broke eye contact and turned her piercing gaze on Max, who had just emerged from the basement.

"Ready to go?" Olivia asked. Max nodded eagerly and Olivia returned the girl's smile with one of her own as she got up from the couch and snatched up her car keys. "Let's go then."

The drive back was quiet and uneventful. All three of them were lost in their own respective thoughts and no one seemed eager to break the heavy silence. He almost wished that someone would because his own thoughts were as dark and gloomy as the night outside the vehicle. But not a word was spoken until Olivia pulled into the Blackwell parking lot that had fewer vehicles than it usually did. _Looks like a few other people are out late tonight._

"Now, you two had better stay out of trouble this time. And I mean it. No more freezing time Max or else Walter is going to have a fit," Olivia's voice was stern yet held no harshness but Max flinched at her words all the same. Seeing this, the woman softened her tone, "You did a brave thing today, Max. That girl is alive because of you. No one can ever take that away from you. You should be proud."

Nodding, Max relaxed and shortly after another awkward silence they said their goodbyes to Olivia and promised not to get into any more trouble. As she drove off, Kevin and Max, side by side, walked across the eerily calm campus to their respective dorms. They wordlessly parted ways outside the dorms entrance. Once Kevin was inside his own room, he quickly became disturbed by how quiet the dorms were.

Usually at this time of the night, the boys' dormitory was full of noise from loud movies, video games or just good old boisterous roughhousing. It was his tradition to turn on his own music to drown out the nonsense, but now he hurriedly moved towards his laptop and put on some music because of the intense lack of noise. Deciding he needed something heavy, he turned on his Sabaton playlist and dialed up the volume.

Almost immediately, the piercing silence that had filled his room was thrown out as one of his favorite bands sang about the brave last stand of the one hundred and eighty-nine swiss guardsman who gave their lives defending Pope Clement during the sack of Rome in 1527. Most people, even metal enthusiasts, would scoff at the ridiculousness of Sabaton's epic ballads, but Kevin ate their music right up. What was better than combining history with Swedish metal?

As he listened to the song that was fittingly titled 'The Last Stand,' the chorus erupted: 'For the grace, for the might of our lord…' and he ceased his slight head banging as a thought crossed his mind. _Kate might like this song… even if she isn't into metal… but that would be awesome if she is…_ he reflexively pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time.

Seeing that it was almost eleven at night, he grimaced and did his best to resist the urge to text her. He failed. Pulling up Kate's number that he had appropriated from Warren, he typed out a quick and lame text that he felt belonged better on a discount hallmark card instead of a text to someone who almost killed themselves. Scoffing at what he had written, he moved to delete the embarrassing message, but, as he did so, his worst nightmares became realized. His thumb accidentally pressed 'send'. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_

As Kevin tossed his phone onto his bed in frustration, the song's lyrics shouted: 'Thy will be done!' _Fuck you, song!_ He smashed the button on his mouse to skip to the next song. It was a new song by another of his favorite bands, titled 'Maximize' by Within Temptation, and he stared at his computer screen dumbfounded.

As the song played the music shifted from a very electronica sounding opening but almost immediately heavy guitars kicked in. Sighing in frustration, he allowed himself a moment to relax when the guitars suddenly quieted as the lead singer sang the first line: 'Hello, is there someone out there who can hear me scream?' _For Fuck's sake…_ he nearly slammed his laptop shut but, as he did so, he made a mental note to share the song with Max, just because of its title. _Heh, Maximise._

His room was bathed in a silence that no longer felt oppressive, broken only by his phone buzzing on his bed. He dared not think that Kate was calling him back at this hour, so soon after his discount hallmark message, but, as he inspected his phone, a smile creep across his face.

 _I guess it's time to start writing sappy gift cards then._ Answering his phone, his smile widened as he sat down on his bed. Kate's voice sang through his phone into his ear as she expressed her concerns about him and that she was glad to hear that he was okay. It touched him deeply that she was so worried about him when she was the one in the hospital. Kevin kicked off his shoes and settled down into his bed as he responded and did his best to cast away any more concerns that she had.

* * *

Kevin awoke with a start as something bounced on his chest. He gasped in surprise but relaxed as he identified his phone as the culprit for the disturbance. It lay motionless on his chest but it must have vibrated from the receipt of a text message or a missed call. After inspecting it, he discovered a text message from a number he didn't recognize. Sitting up, he blinked away the remaining disorientation that haunted him from being awoken so suddenly.

Warm sunlight flooded into his room. He could hear the happy songs of the birds outside. That could only mean one thing; it was well into morning. Shaking his head, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. As his eyes refocused, he inspected the message that had disturbed him. _Get in line, because Max is mine! You are hella' out of the loop. We still cool?_ – _Chloe._

Smiling, he tapped out a confused response. He knew exactly what she meant, but there was no harm in toying with Chloe. Especially since he would have preferred to sleep in longer. As he waited for her to respond, he stifled a yawn and tried to remember when he had fallen asleep last night. He found it refreshing that he hadn't been tormented by his strange dreams last night. Far from being comforted, he wondered if it really was a good thing or if it meant more trouble.

As he ransacked his foggy mind for memories, he came to a sudden and terrifying realization. _I fell asleep talking to Kate. Fuck! What the hell kind of look does that send? Way to go, moron._ Sighing loudly, he suppressed another yawn and his phone vibrated chaotically in his hands as it was bombarded with a barrage of messages.

 _Max totally made out with me._

 _I win._

 _You lose._

 _All mine._

 _Not yours. You dig?_

He suspected that Chloe was exaggerating whatever had happened, but he was happy for them anyway. The pair were pretty much polar opposites, but their attraction to each other was undeniable. They were certainly adorable together, probably more so when they became more comfortable with each other. His smile slowly broadening, he typed out his response: _Congrats! I dig, we cool. See you guys later._ Sighing happily for once, he tossed his phone away and got ready for the day.

Sipping her morning coffee, Olivia did her best to clear the gruesome images of Walter's latest interest out of her mind. She had foolishly gone downstairs to see what had agitated him so early in the morning, before the thought of breakfast crossed her mind. She had interrupted Walter while he was in the middle of what appeared to be his third consecutive dissection of a dead bird. A quick inventory of his makeshift lab confirmed he'd collected about a dozen dead birds of varying species. It was evident that he planned on dissecting each one. Walter sullenly looked up from his work, his lips quivering as he spoke.

* * *

"Agent Dunham. These birds, they're all dead. Agent Francis and his niece found them on their morning walk. They say that there are countless more." He trailed off as he returned to his work. Even though she had quickly averted her gaze, Olivia was still having trouble getting the image of scrambled bird brains out of her head, despite having seen far worse in the past.

She asked Walter what had caused so many birds to die within the same period of time and Walter mumbled something to himself and ceased paying any attention to her. She had left him to his work. Upon returning to the kitchen, Peter offered her a delicious smelling cup of coffee and she sat down at the table, lamenting her former appetite for breakfast.

She and Peter sat there in silence as they nursed their coffee for a while, both of them lost in thought. Could the sudden deaths of the birds have to do with Max's powers? The dreams or visions that she and Max shared concerning the massive tornado could also be related. Was it really true that they were really seeing the future and that a massive cyclone was going to ravage the area in a few days? Her thoughts were interrupted as Charlie noisily entered through the front door.

"Guys, it's not just the birds…" Charlie quickly made his way into his home with his niece close behind. The pair wore equally grave looks. Olivia tensed as she stood from the table. "The beach is covered with dead whales! A whole pod washed ashore this morning according to the locals." Peter put down his coffee and rushed downstairs to inform his father of the development.

"What the hell is going on here?" Olivia asked no one in particular, as a creeping sense of dread snuck its way into her stomach to replace her still lingering appetite.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Livvy. What the hell is going to happen next?" asked Charlie. A worried expression plastered onto his face.

Peter and Walter rushed upstairs, both of them carrying portable equipment. Walter intended to see the dead whales for himself and, within a few moments, he and Peter headed outside with Olivia close behind. Charlie and his niece claimed that they had seen enough dead animals for the day, and she really couldn't blame them. As Peter got behind the wheel of their vehicle, she hoped that the scene wouldn't be too gruesome because the thought of a warm meal at the town's diner excited her still empty stomach.

* * *

 _All too easy…_ Kevin smiled with satisfaction as his forces moved into position and began to capture the central objective. Flanked his friend Jamie's forces, his forces quickly moved past the flaming wrecks of what had once been their opponent's futile attempt at stopping them from gaining the upper hand. The match was far from over though, but due to the fact that his team now controlled a slight majority of the objectives, all they had to do now was dig in and resist until the game inevitably ended.

Kevin and his friend Jamie were still getting used to coordinating assaults but they were masters of defense. He was confident that no matter what their opponents threw at them, they would hold the line. The thought of continuing with their offensive had crossed his mind, but their forces had suffered somewhat from their last assault and it was certainly much safer to dig in and await reinforcements than to push on and risk everything. Besides, he and Jamie had all the time in the world.

Kevin's phone buzzed next to him as it skipped across his desk. Sighing in annoyance from the disruption, he checked to make sure his forces were all doing what they were supposed to be doing and informed his teammate that he was reading a text.

"Whatever. I doubt they will try anything for a while. We just stomped them. This game is pretty much over anyway. All we have to do is wait for them to come at us again and then we can counter-attack when they fail, because they suck." But as Kevin read his text message, he suddenly became conflicted by two powerful and entirely incompatible desires.

"Dude, I have to go…" He started to say slowly, but Jamie quickly cut him off.

"The fuck? Bullshit you do! We have this game in the bag and if you back out—" Kevin already knew the grave consequences for quitting a game early and interrupted Jamie.

"Dude, that girl I told you about wants to see me. Like now." He had told Jamie about Kate, because of course he had, but he hadn't mentioned everything. He really hadn't felt like going into how she was in the hospital after trying to throw herself off the roof of a building, that just didn't sound like a promising start to a romance, so he had left that detail out.

"Fuck." Jamie let the word stretch out for several seconds as he groaned, knowing full well that girls came before games, even in situations such as this. "Do you have to leave now?"

"No, but I certainly don't have the time to sit here and play this whole thing out." And just as he said this an idea formed in his head. Jamie clearly had the same thought.

"Fuck it, dude. Let's just rush em!"

Kevin agreed and quickly formed a plan. The battlefield was separated by a small yet impassable river. There were two bridges that connected the opposing sides, one short but narrow and the other long and wide. Their forces had succeeded in battering their way across the larger bridge but the enemy still held a firm grip on the smaller bridge, and seemed to be reinforcing it, as if they already expected an attack.

"Alright, I'm going to form up my guys for an attack on the small bridge over here—"

"I thought you said that it would be a waste of time pushing across that thing? Why don't we just go around and encircle them?" challenged Jamie.

"We _are_ going to do that. I want them to think that we're pushing across it though. I need your artillery to drop as many smoke rounds as possible on their positions while I make it look like I am pushing across. I want them looking right there and only right there, while the rest of our forces push right past them and trap the majority of their units. Once we have them encircled, we will wipe them out and capture the other two objectives, and, hopefully, they will rage-quit. That's the only way I can think of ending this as quickly as I need to."

"Fuck it! Just say when."

After a few moments of preparation, and a quick look at the time, Kevin gave the order and their artillery pounded the enemies' position on the opposite side of the small bridge with a massive amount of smoke shells. Just before these rounds landed, Kevin made sure their enemies could see his forces rushing forwards.

If the enemy hadn't panicked and sent over two groups of helicopter gunships towards the fight, Kevin wouldn't have had any idea whether their bold plan was working or not. Before the enemy helicopters could gain a new line of sight on his forces he quickly hid his infantry inside the spreading cloud of smoke, and hurriedly brought forward his own gunships to put pressure on the fast approaching enemy helicopters.

Jamie's forces lunged deep into enemy territory and Kevin's forces that were alongside followed suit. To keep their enemies' focus on the small bridge, Kevin sent a few sacrificial units plunging through the ever-expanding cloud of smoke. Involuntarily wincing, he watched as a unit of his tanks drew fire from multiple directions and he targeted the now revealed enemies with his artillery and called for Jamie to assist.

Smiling grimly, Kevin saw even more enemy units reveal themselves. The new arrivals added their fire to his doomed tanks and as they exploded one by one the, incoming artillery tore retribution to exposed infantry and vehicle alike. But the true stroke of vengeance was yet to come. His smile grew wider as he counted up the enemy units. Kevin was now certain that they had committed a vast majority of their remaining forces to this action, and he watched with glee as their own forces closed in from all sides.

Completely caught off-guard, their enemies noticed at the last moment what was happening, but it was too late. Several groups of tanks and armored personnel carriers burst onto the scene in an uncoordinated mass and all at once everyone started shooting. Kevin recommitted the rest of his forces into the fight. His infantry came charging out of the smoke and quickly secured the buildings that had once held enemy ground troops. His infantry, now in commanding positions, added their fire into the melee, and his gunships swooped in as Jamie's own newly arrived gunships roared into the fight.

Their forces took what normally would have been unacceptable casualties, but their enemies were slaughtered entirely. As the last tank exploded and the last helicopter came plummeting to the ground, Jamie's other forces made it to the final two objectives and began to secure them. Defeat would seem certain to his adversaries, but it was an illusion. Kevin and Jamie's forces were now in a terrible state, even the slightest resistance from their enemy could be their downfall.

Their two adversaries fell for the illusion, prematurely quitting the game one after the other, probably in frustration. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kevin cast his gaze on his remaining forces and winced again. A terrible price in simulated lives had just been paid.

"Fuck yeah! I can't believe that worked! Fucking morons, I had like… five dudes left and most of them were at half-health!" Jamie's words were drowned out by his own laughter as he luxuriated in their moment of victory. Kevin, however, looked hastily at the time once more and realized in horror that the maneuver had taken a few minutes longer than he would have liked. He quickly said his goodbyes and snatched up his phone.

Frantically searching around his room for his wallet and his keys, he texted Kate that he was on his way, and that he would be there soon. Her response was immediate. She teased him saying that he had better not keep her waiting too long since he had 'so adorably' fallen asleep on her the previous night. Cursing at himself once more, he located his effects and tore out of his room, nearly running straight into one or two of his peers as he dashed down the hallway.

In a sudden flash, everything changed before him and he found himself no longer tearing his way through the hallways of his dormitory, but outside. His head buzzed slightly and he felt momentarily overwhelmed but he soon came to his senses. Not a moment ago, he had been running at full tilt towards the dormitories' exit but now he was outside, in the front yard of Blackwell Academy, seated on the grass with several other students. Awareness crept through him and the warmth of someone snuggled up next to him. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders. _Kate?_

"Hello? Are you even listening Maxine?"

 _Maxine? What the…_ Kevin slowly turned away from Victoria, who had directed her question towards the girl who was snuggled up next to him. Somehow, he managed to keep his surprise to a minimum as he regarded a very different looking Max Caulfield. Gone was her dorky T-shirt, faded jeans, and drab hoodie, replaced with expensive khakis, a white shirt with black stripes, and a burgundy, button-up sweater. Her camera bag had changed too. It was no longer quirky and expressionistic but functional and probably cost a quite a few pennies.

"Max, never Maxine." She slowly and hesitantly corrected Victoria, and cast a sidelong glance at Kevin while doing so. At first, she had reflexively struggled against his arm but now she relaxed slightly. He inspected her face he noticed that she was even wearing makeup. Certain that he would have noticed a detail like that before, he caught a whiff of delightful perfume from Max as a light breeze brought the tempting smell to his awaiting nostrils. _Wow, quite the bold choice, Max._ Kevin shook his head as he tried to clear his thoughts and his movements drew Victoria's eye for a moment, but she ignored him and instead focused on Max.

"I know, sorry, Mad Max. You're not pissed at me, right? Right?"

Kevin tried to focus on the chatter of the nearby students but the buzzing in his head refused to abate. The immediate area around him was filled with several of the illustrious Vortex Club members. Courtney and Taylor were present, of course, and as he turned his attention towards them he caught a morsel of their conversation.

"… should never have let them into the Vortex Club…"

 _Are they talking about us? Are we part of the cool kids' club all of the sudden…? What the fuck is going on?_ Kevin focused on himself and noted that everything about him seemed to be in order. The only thing that seemed slightly off was that he was wearing his one pair of khaki pants at the moment, instead of his usual pair of jeans. _Did I wear these to try and… fit in with the crowd…? What the hell I'm sitting on the grass in my nicest pair of pants?_

As he worried about grass stains on his pants, Max had apparently had enough of her conversation with Victoria. She shrugged off his arm and got to her feet. Victoria stared at Kevin in surprise, her gaze shifting to Max's retreating figure every few seconds. He shrugged and rose to his feet as carefully as he could to avoid getting any grass stains on his pants and went after Max. As he did so, he removed his cell phone from his pocket, checked his messages and was surprised by what he found.

He read through his messages, keeping a close eye on Max as she wandered aimlessly, the expression of confusion growing on her freckled face. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he slowly exhaled as he approached Max from behind and gingerly tapped her shoulder. She spun around in a panicked flurry of movement and he reflexively reached out to steady her, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders.

"Max, relax… calm down." Struggling against him for a moment, she relaxed and allowed herself to be brought in closer. It must have looked like they were hugging from far away, because a chorus of sympathetic noises erupted from the group that they had left.

"Oh my God, they are so fucking adorable… it makes me sick!" one of the girls called out.

"Stop being such a jealous bitch." Kevin recognized Victoria's voice and the fact that she was rising to Max's defense, in her own way, confused him even more than he already was. _Time to get some answers…_ He looked fixedly into Max's eyes and she held his gaze for a moment before looking down guiltily.

"Max, what did you do?"

Max stammered for a bit as she tried to form the right words with her mouth. The panic in her eyes hadn't relented—her body was tense—the poor girl seemed terrified. _What has she done?_ Max struggled with forming words for a few more moments until the sound of the approaching school bus interrupted her thoughts, and he felt her go stiff in his arms.

"Chloe." The name passed through Max's lips as a ghostly whisper, but with a groaning sense of urgency all the same. She attempted to bolt from his arms in the direction of the school-bus, but he had anticipated her movements and held her firmly in place. She struggled for a moment, then fixed him with the coldest and hardest stare that he had ever seen cross her face. A slight chill ran down his spine as they stared at one another, but, despite the threatening appearance of his friend, he made no move to release her.

"Max… look—I will drive you to Chloe's house, but, on the way, you need to tell me what the fuck is going on."

Max's fierce expression relented and she nodded. As soon as he relaxed his grip on her, she shot off towards the parking lot. Dashing to catch up to her, he thrust his hand into his pocket to remove his keys, and he noticed something different about his key-chain. He skidded to a halt at the entrance to the parking lot and inspected his car key. It was larger than it had been before, and, instead of possessing a Mazda symbol, there was a Toyota symbol in its place.

"Kevin… I don't see your car." Max called out in a alarm. "Are you sure that you still have one?" _What the fuck do you mean by that?_

"Do you see any Toyotas?" Kevin called ahead to her as he made his way over to where she stood. She shook her head. After a moment of inaction, the two split up and searched through the parking lot. It didn't take long for something to catch his eye. Parked off to the side in the same fashion that he would usually park his Mazda, there was a dark blue, sporty looking Toyota. With a creeping sense of excitement, he approached the vehicle and slowly inserted his key. He turned it and was gratified with the pop of the lock inside releasing.

"Max! Over here!"

"What is it?" she called and he heard her approach from behind. Turning to face her, he smiled roguishly.

"Thanks for the new car... I guess. Hop in!" He opened the driver's side door and his smile widened. Full black interior and the leather seats greeted him. Kevin's pleasure only grew as he inventoried the specs of the car—six-speed standard transmission, and judging from the speedometer and tachometer, it possessed much more horsepower than his previous vehicle. Max jumped in and glared at him impatiently as he inspected his new vehicle. Kevin dragged his eyes away from the slick paint job and slid into the driver's seat. Exquisite comfort greeted him as he settled onto the plush leather seat. Max cleared her throat pointedly and he jumped. Muttering a quick apology, he slid the key into the ignition and the car started with a low growl. Hopefully he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of Max and stall out or grind a gear.

Luckily, the gears shifted smoothly under his hand and he maneuvered out of the parking lot with his usual proficiency. He glanced at Max—the fact that they were moving hadn't done anything to ease her apprehension.

"What did you do?" His question sounded more like an accusation, and, in a sense, it was. He'd tried to soften his tone as much as possible. Max flinched all the same as if his question stabbed her in the gut. Sighing loudly, Kevin did his best to calm himself and maneuvered through the town's light traffic. Max shifted in discomfort in her seat and turned away from him to gaze out the window. For a while, neither spoke and they drove on in an uncomfortable silence that irritated Kevin immensely.

Kevin wished that he could break the suffocating silence that had settled between the two of them, but he was so frustrated that he knew that anything he said would only make matters worse. Suppressing a second sigh, he moved to turn on some music, resigning himself to the current state of affairs. _If she doesn't want to talk about it then we won't fucking talk about it…_

"I saved William." Max spoke so softly that he almost didn't hear her, and he slowly withdrew his hand from the vehicle's stereo as he waited for her to continue. After a few more moments of intolerable silence, he pressed her for more information.

"William? Who's William?"

It took some time and additional prodding but Max explained everything. William was Chloe's father who had died in a tragic car crash several years ago, and Chloe's life had seemingly gone wrong ever since.

During breakfast, an argument broke out at the Price household, and Max had gotten right into the middle of it. The altercation ended with Joyce demanding that Chloe's stepfather leave the house, permanently. She and a very elated Chloe left the house shortly after to do some snooping around Frank's van. Kevin remembered the alleged drug dealer from the junkyard and had wondered what he had to do with anything but hadn't wanted to interrupt Max. The altercation with Frank had seemed like a deal gone bad, but, perhaps there had been something else afoot?

Chloe and Max uncovered a hidden truth concerning Frank and Chloe's former paramour. Rachel Amber and Frank had been more than just friends. Max found irrefutable evidence that the two had been lovers. This revelation infuriated Chloe, and Kevin detected a hint of jealousy in Max's voice as she spoke of Chloe's lost friend. _Perhaps this was more than a friend to Chloe… that would make sense. Chloe seems to be obsessed with finding her._

Even though Max didn't go into detail or give specifics, it certainly seemed that she and Chloe had some sort of fight or confrontation. During this fight, Chloe had apparently blamed her long dead father for everything wrong in her life. Max had gone to her dorm room afterwards, and, while she had been looking at a picture of her and Chloe when they were kids, something weird had happened.

While she had been looking at the picture, she felt something that she couldn't explain and, when she focused on the photograph, she heard voices—almost as if the picture had been speaking to her. But when she concentrated on the voices, she had found herself thrown back in time to her thirteen-year-old body. The picture was taken by Chloe's deceased father while the three of them had been making breakfast the morning of his tragic car accident.

Realizing this, Max decided to save Williams life. She was going to give Chloe her father back. She hid his car keys, and, after a small amount of convincing, he took the bus to pick up Joyce from the grocery store, instead of driving. It was shortly after William left the house that Max had slipped out of the past and back into the present, where she had found herself sitting next to him in the middle of a conversation with Victoria.

Kevin told Max of his own experiences, and how, at one moment, he had been on his way to see Kate and at the very next moment he had been outside with his arm around her. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, he smiled as he recalled the text messages that he inspected minutes ago. _Speaking of awkward..._

"Oh, and Max—I think you should check your phone."

Max blinked at him. "Why?" she asked, but still pulled her phone of out her pocket. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Just look at our text message history," said Kevin, suppressing a grin. He had time to review the messages on his phone in this altered reality and Max had no idea. _No idea_. "It's...um...it's something."

Max followed his instructions and his smiled widened in conjunction with the deepening crimson of her cheeks. She scrolled through the rest of their message history and an embarrassed smile crept onto her face.

"Honey-bunny? For reals?" she asked, groaning. Kevin chuckled at the pet name he'd given her in this timeline. "Oh my god, we are so freaking _lame_."

"Lame?!" Kevin recoiled at Max's choice of words. And even though it hadn't _really_ been him who sent Max those messages, her words stung him all the same. "We're fucking adorable. Don't you dare call us lame! You take that back!"

"Are you cereal?" Max must have noticed exactly how much damage her words had done, because she shifted her tone and her face took on an entirely new shade of embarrassment. "I mean… we are pretty cute, I guess. But come on, you have to admit that some of this stuff is pretty gag worthy." Feeling even more defensive than he had before, Kevin turned to look at his apparent girlfriend. Sunlight glinted off of something unfamiliar around her neck. "Well 'gag' apparently works on Maxine Caulfield." His deliberate use of the name 'Maxine' struck home, and he received a venomous glare as a reward for his taunt.

"Oh, does it?" Her strong retort made him smile in victory. "What makes you say that, _eh_?" Unfazed by her attempts to mock him, Kevin nodded towards her neckline.

"That shiny thing around your neck seems like something that I would buy. So yeah, 'gag' apparently worked, honey-bunny."

Max dropped her phone in her lap as both of her hands shot towards her neck. Her hands discovered the object that had caught his eye. A silver chain hung loosely around her neck that was decorated by a small, yet eye catching, silver charm that enshrined a deep blue sapphire. She examined the charm for several moments before turning to look at him, her expression softening a great deal.

"I guess you figured out my birthstone at some point. It's really pretty—thanks." They remained silent for several moments as their tempers simmered, and the awkwardness of their new reality sunk in once again. "No offense… but Chloe should be the one buying me pretty things and—"

"I should be getting pretty things for Kate." Kevin finished her sentence and she nodded slowly in agreement. "Max, what have you done." He muttered, shaking his head as his thoughts turned to Kate. He hadn't seen her outside and hadn't noticed anything about a suicide attempt in his messages, so there was a chance that she was okay in this new reality. He hoped so—he really hoped so.

Max directed him the rest of the way to Chloe's house, and, when they slowly pulled up outside, she stared at the house in wonder.

"It looks totally different. The paint, the yard, it's all well taken care of now." Before he could comment, his phone began to buzz in his hand and he noticed with relief that the caller was 'FBI Lady'.

"Well, it looks like we still ran into Olivia and her friends in this new timeline that you have created. Not sure if that's good or not. Walter is going to be pissed…" He trailed off at the sight of Max's guilt-ridden face, and quickly waved her off. "Go. Go check up on Chloe. I'll deal with the FBI people. Go on—I'll handle them."

Max exited the vehicle without hesitation and raced to the front door of Chloe's house as he answered his phone. Olivia was less than happy, and he could hear Walter in the background. He sounded even worse. He watched a man he didn't recognize answer the door and welcome Max with a friendly face and a warm smile. Kevin relaxed even though his conversation with Olivia was turning quite sour.

She demanded to speak with Max and wanted to know exactly where they were. Hesitating for a moment, he watched as the man, who he assumed was Chloe's real father, step aside and invite Max inside. Max hesitated and her entire body stiffened. She brought her right hand upwards to cover her mouth. Straining to see around Max, Kevin nearly dropped his phone in shock as a new figure came into view.

He barely recognized her at first. She lacked the blue hair and her usual punk-rock attire, but the girl that had come to greet Max at the front door of Chloe's house had to be Chloe. Olivia was desperately trying to get his attention, but Kevin was in such a state of shock that he numbly ignored her. His heart broke for Max and broke again for Chloe as he looked on in horror at what had become of Max's best friend.

Tragedy had deprived Chloe of her father several years ago. Max had undone this using her strange powers; however, it seemed that tragedy would not be outmaneuvered. Fate was a cruel mistress that would not be cheated. Max saved William, but she had doomed her best friend. Chloe had clearly suffered from a devastating accident, and, from the look of the massive chair that she was rolling around in, she had been almost completely paralyzed.

"Olivia, I'm going to have to call you back." And despite her protests, he hung up his phone. Max turned around to face him, her eyes moist with tears.


	9. Unforeseen Consequences

**Unforeseen Consequences**

Kevin didn't want to get out of his vehicle. He felt safe and isolated from the tragic scene that he was witnessing. But Max motioned for him to come over, and Chloe looked right at him and smiled. Turning off his car, he took a deep and calming breath, as he steeled himself for the inevitable. On his way to the house, he did his best to cleanse his face of the dread that he felt festering deep within his soul. It took a herculean effort, but he conjured up the warmest and falsest smile that he had ever displayed in his entire life.

"So, this is the new boyfriend that you keep telling me about, Max? I'm glad I finally get to meet him." Chloe radiated a single powerful emotion as he approached: warmth. Her body was broken. The life that she had wanted as a child was ruined and she would probably never again be able to take care of herself. In spite of all of this, her spirit was unbroken. She seemed happy and at peace.

The stark contrast to the Chloe that he knew threw him severely off balance. Kevin did his best to hide his uneasiness, but this new Chloe was quite perceptive.

"Oh, come on! Don't be afraid. I don't bite." Kevin's feet dragged like lead bricks as he drew closer. When he finally reached Max's side, she leaned towards him, seeking comfort. He numbly reached out to her, drawing her close. The old Chloe would have bristled and glared at him venomously, but the new Chloe smiled brightly as she saw her best friend snuggle up to her sweetheart.

The trio talked for a few moments, and William retreated into the house. The kind, blonde-haired, fair-faced man nodded acceptingly toward Kevin. Operating entirely on autopilot, Kevin returned the gesture.

Chloe mentioned that they should all go for a walk along the beach. Chloe's suggestion wrenched Kevin out of his stupor. Olivia had mentioned something about being at the beach. Kevin's mind worked frantically and a plan was formulated to extricate himself out of the extremely awkward situation.

When the conversation died down, Kevin brought up that he had been on the phone with his rather irate and 'slave driving' parents and that he had to excuse himself. He extended all of the usual pleasantries and niceties as he retreated to his vehicle and waved his goodbyes. Max smiled knowingly at him and nodded as he dove into his car. He called Olivia back and put her on speaker as he drove away from the nightmare that Max had created.

 _Max… what have you done?_

* * *

It took some time and tempers flared on several occasions, but Kevin soon had everyone on the same page. Walter reacted quite the opposite of how he had expected. Instead of raving like a madman about how Max had compromised the integrity of the universe or something equally theatrical, he had listened intently and smiled sadly with a feeble nod when all was said and done. Peter and Olivia also seemed somewhat unsettled by Walter's muted reaction to the news, and took a moment to cast him sidelong and curious glances before turning back to face Kevin.

"New car?" Olivia, ever the master detective, didn't miss a detail. In response, Kevin made an exasperated noise and jerked his shoulders into a shrug.

"I guess. I don't fucking know what Chloe's dad not dying has to do with my choice of vehicles but, yes, that's my car now. Oh, Max and I are dating now. Excessively adorable text messages included." Peter smirked at this and Olivia did her best to smile, but even in this timeline she hadn't seemed to have mastered the art. "So, about these dead whales, eh?"

Everyone turned to regard the massive corpses that littered the beach. It was an impossible sight to miss, and even if you did, the putrid smell of rotting, sun-baked flesh found you all the same. Five different carcasses ranging from large to truly massive littered the beach within their line of sight. The once majestic creatures were truly a horrid sight to behold.

Olivia asked if Kevin had noticed any other dead animals other than birds around town, and he shook his head in response. He most certainly had not.

"So, Walter… any theories that could help us out? What's causing all of these animals to die?" asked Olivia hopefully.

Walter paused while he considered the findings that he and Peter compiled from studying the dead creatures. The trio of agents looked sun-stroked, sand-blasted, and miserable. They'd been at this for a while.

Walter finally turned back to Olivia to answer her question when Kevin's stomach rumbled. He stared at the nearby diner and practically tasted the cinnamon and syrup of Belgian waffles—dead whales be damned. It was a lifetime ago that he, Max and Chloe had eaten at the Two Whales diner and first came into contact with the FBI team. The town was being slowly covered in the majestic golden glow of the setting sun as the 'golden hour' approached.

"I don't just have a theory, my dear Agent Dunham. I know what happened to these poor creatures." Walter declared this with such conviction and morbid certainty that Kevin believed him but was terrified of his next words all the same. "But first, I feel as though we should get some warm food in our bellies before our young friend faints from hunger! When was the last time you ate, young man?"

Momentarily stunned at the sudden change of topic, Kevin took a moment to collect himself as all eyes turned towards him. With the confusion of Max's massive world changing event still fresh in his memory, he really couldn't remember the last time he ate. He offered a simple shrug in response. This was enough for Walter. Doctor Bishop rapidly set to work packing up equipment, and Peter soon followed suit. Olivia's answer would have to wait, because it was time to eat. Kevin prayed that Walter's response wouldn't completely ruin his appetite.

He was starving.

* * *

Kevin found himself in a state bordering a nervous wreck as he followed the FBI agents back to Agent Francis' vacation home. Walter refused to elaborate further and insisted on returning to the house before he spoke his mind. Both Peter and Olivia seemed to be used to such situations because neither protested or pressed him for further information despite their blatantly obvious desire to do so. Kevin was not used to Walter's antics and his imagination ran wild with countless explanations for the pattern of strange occurrences.

His ideas ranged from seemingly logical conclusions to fantastical explanations that defied science and reason. And with the way things were going the past few days, the fantastical had suddenly become the logical. His mood darkened as he followed the nondescript sedan, clouded by hunger and pessimistic assumptions. What did Max think about her now paralyzed best friend? Was this new reality better than the old one, or worse? What had happened to Kate? Was she okay? How did she feel about his relationship with Max, if anything?

Sighing, he did his best to keep the unanswerable questions out of his mind but it was a short-lived effort at best. Was this new reality permanent or was it subject to change? And what would it change to if Max messed with the past again? What would become of everyone? What would become of him… or Kate?

* * *

Walter adamantly insisted that he wouldn't answer any questions until after everyone had eaten. While the food was being prepared, Kevin paced around the house. After several minutes of wandering, Charlie intercepted him.

"Hey kiddo, what's on your mind?" the man asked, thinly veiled concern edging into his voice. _Kiddo? When did we become best buds? Oh right, I'm dating Max now, so I'm probably entirely oblivious to Kimberly… Where the hell is she anyway?_

Kevin grasped for words, but his brain refused to respond. There was simply too much on his mind, it was simply impossible to begin to explain. While Kevin stood there, like a statue with an existential crisis, Charlie studied him. Waving casually to show that he didn't need an answer, Agent Francis reached for his holstered weapon with deliberate slowness. Reflexively tensing as the weapon was drawn, Kevin watched in slight confusion as Charlie ejected the clip and cleared the weapon. A single bullet spun out of the weapon's exposed chamber. Charlie snatched the spinning bullet out of the air in a skilled, well-practiced maneuver.

"I'm going to teach you how to properly disarm someone, okay kid?" Charlie offered the firearm to Kevin grip first and motioned for him to take it. Under previous circumstances, Kevin would have suspected a trap, but he knew there was nothing sinister in Charlie's body language. Kevin slowly accepted the weapon. Despite its size, the firearm felt heavy in his hands. Even though he had just watched Charlie clear the weapon of ammunition, he still felt nervous about holding it. "I figured one of you kids should know how to deal with something like this. Livvy told me about that Nathan kid. All this time travel nonsense is way beyond me, but you should be ready and able to defend yourself if the need arises."

Charlie instructed Kevin to point the weapon at him and Kevin obeyed hesitantly. Before Kevin could ask what he should do next, Charlie was upon him. Kevin hit the ground hard and the weapon was back in Charlie's hands before Kevin even comprehended what was happening.

Grunting from the shock and the mild pain from hitting the floor as hard as he had, Kevin slowly returned to his feet, glaring at the smug looking Charlie.

"That's what you should have done the other day… instead of whacking me with a damned metal chair. Now, do you want to learn how to do that, kid?"

Kevin nodded eagerly, all of his earlier concerns forgotten. _Hah, I hit him with a chair in this timeline. Classic me..._

As Charlie instructed him and went over the maneuver in agonizing slowness, a spark of vengeance burned deep within Kevin's chest. _You're going to pay for what you did to Kate… you're going to pay dearly Nathan Prescott. I don't give a damn if you haven't touched her in this new world, you're still going to pay._

* * *

By the time dinner was prepared, Kevin was sore and sweaty. He had only slightly gotten the hang of the complicated maneuver that Charlie attempted to teach him. Once Kevin cleaned himself up, he noticed that someone was missing at the dinner table. Kimberly was still nowhere to be seen, nor was a place set for her. He was about to inquire after her but Olivia noticed his confusion and slowly shook her head, clearly warning him against commenting on the issue.

Walter and Peter occupied one side of the table, while Kevin and Olivia occupied the other. Charlie took his seat at the head of the table, while its counterpart remained empty. Kevin, again, marveled at the amount of food that had been prepared and revelled as the delightful smells surrounded him. He immediately felt his anxiety flood out of him as the anticipation of another home cooked meal enveloped him like warm blanket, fresh from the dryer.

While Kevin's worries were banished by the presence of food, Walter grew tense and uncomfortable as the meal progressed. The man unenthusiastically picked at his food. The others noticed, too, and their good moods steadily turned sour. The meal continued on in total silence except for the muted scratches of cutlery meeting plates. In no time at all, Kevin stared at his empty plate.

The gloomy silence engulfed the room and the resulting tension was unbearable. Olivia cleared her throat and gently put down her silverware, her eyes locked on Walter. The man's own gaze was on his barely touched plate, sad and melancholic.

"Walter…" Olivia paused for a moment as Walter snapped to attention and cast a dismal look at her. "You said that you knew what was happening to the animals. Why are they all dying?"

Walter took a moment to collect himself as he glanced around the table. His gaze lingered on his son for a moment, longer than it had on anyone else. Peter gave his father a small, yet encouraging, nod. Walter began slowly, his voice quiet and withdrawn. As he continued to speak, his voice grew stronger and more resolute. The sadness that had once plagued him slowly slipped away but never vanished completely.

"Well, Agent Dunham, I'm sure that you've noticed that not all the animals are dying. There are still plenty of healthy birds that haven't fallen to the ground and I'm sure that, if you checked, you would find that there are still plenty of healthy whales nearby."

"So, what does—" Peter began but was quickly cut off by his father as Walter pressed on.

"It means that none of _this_ world's animals are dying." The room fell silent for a moment as everyone around the table stared back at him in disbelief. Peter opened his mouth to speak, but Walter interrupted again to continue. "The animals that are dying are from the alternate universe, Peter. I theorize that Maxine's powers are tearing through the fabric that separates the two universes, and every time she uses her powers, cracks or holes temporarily form and it seems that these animals are slipping through."

"An alternate… universe?" Kevin fumbled with the words as he stared at Walter in disbelief. _Time travel I can handle, but what the fuck is he talking about?_

"Yes, a world just like ours, inhabited by people that look just like us, only different. These animals slipped through the cracks and immediately perished from the effects of the sudden and brutal transition. I theorize that the powers that Maxine possesses have less to do with time-travel and more to do with communicating with the alternate universe. When something happens that she wishes to change, she isn't simply rewinding time. She is accessing the event from the alternate universe."

"How the hell would something like that work? Time travel made a weird sort of sense but this…?" asked Charlie. Kevin found Charlie's bewilderment encouraging. _At least I'm not the only one that doesn't understand._

"For example, in our universe, Chloe's father died in a tragic car accident. So, Maxine, conscious of how her powers work or not, reached into the alternate universe and borrowed an event from their timeline. One where Chloe's father survived or avoided his car accident in the alternate universe. Because of this difference, the timeline in our universe has been thrown into disarray… Chloe is now paralyzed. Kevin has a different vehicle and is dating Maxine! The past that we knew, after that moment, became subject to change, no matter how unrelated it may seem. Some aspects of our lives may have drastically changed and yet we know nothing of it!"

Olivia glanced at Charlie for a moment, but tore her gaze away from him before he noticed.

"Let's assume that you're right about this for a—" Peter was again cut off by his father and it was impossible not to notice that his temper was rising. Peter's jaw was now perpetually clenched, his hands had forgotten the cutlery before him and remained tightly balled into fists.

"I am right! The bodies of all the animals contained highly charged particles that could only be obtained from passing between universes and the brains of the birds have been—"

"How do we fix this? What's going to happen if Max keeps changing the past or reaching into the alternate universe?" Peter demanded, the frustration in his voice momentarily shocking his father.

"I have no idea, but I fear that something catastrophic will happen if Maxine continues to make use of her powers." Walter's response triggered a chilling tremor down Kevin's spine.

 _Max's visions. Fuck._

"A tornado." Olivia breathed the word as if all of the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"Perhaps, yes. Or any other form of natural disaster that we can conceive of or can't even imagine. Wait, Agent Dunham… your vision?" The room grew quiet once again as everyone stared at one another.

If Walter was right about his theory, then it seemed that the visions shared by Olivia and Max were some form of premonition or warning. Kevin shook his head as he tried to make sense of everything. As far as he could understand, Max wasn't just rewinding time but was instead borrowing alternate events from an alternate reality and applying them to their universe… or something. But doing this, especially to something so far in the past, initiated a domino effect of some kind. Each change or variation blasting shock-waves through time and space.

Kevin and Olivia both seemed to be able to recall what had happened before everything had changed but no one else could. Olivia hadn't needed much convincing about what Max had done. Everyone else had, but once Olivia was on Kevin's side, the others fell in line.

"What about the snow and the unscheduled solar eclipse that only people around here seem to be talking about? I called Broyles and apparently the only place that they know of that reported seeing the eclipse was here," Charlie asked, his concern mounting.

"I suspect these are just more elements of the alternate universe leaking through into our own," Walter said with a bitter smile as the grimness of the situation settled over the room.

"Alright. Hold on. Let's go back to this alternate universe thing. What exactly are we talking about here?" Kevin's question captured Walter's full attention, and the man dove into a deeper and yet more simplified explanation.

According to Walter, throughout every person's life, there are a series of choices that they have to make. When making said choices, there are different paths that our lives could take. Do we go to work or do we choose to stay home? No matter what you chose, the other choice could still happen in an alternate universe and the consequences of that choice could be life changing. Apparently, Walter was certain that such an alternate universe did exist, and that it was filled with alternate versions of people from this universe.

Kevin wondered what an alternate him would be like. Then he stopped thinking about it because his head was starting to hurt. In fact, this entire conversation was making his head spin as his brain continuously tried and failed to process the overload of information it was receiving. Sighing heavily, he forced his mind to go as blank as possible. His efforts were only partially successful.

"Just don't think about it Morty…" he mumbled to himself.

Walter immediately perked up and nodded his head in excitement. "Yes! Just like in the show! But instead of there being an infinite number of realities there are only two. At least as far as I know... and travel between realities is far more complicated. What I would do for a portal gun like Rick's!"

Kevin's eyes nearly bugged out at the thought of Walter wielding Rick's portal gun.

"Come on Walter, let's stay away from children's cartoons and get back to—" Peter started, only to be cut-off by Walter again. This time he tried to suppressed the irritation, succeeding only partially.

"Rick and Morty is not a children's cartoon, Peter! It is a mature show dealing with mature content that is quite inappropriate for younger audiences! If you would just watch—"

"Fine, Walter. Relax. Do you have any theories or ideas on what we should be doing right now, anything at all?" Walter stared at his son for a moment, lost in thought. Everyone in the room was on the edge of their seats as they waited for his response.

"First, I think we should retrieve Maxine straight away. But as for what we should do after that... I will have to do some thinking." Walter's response didn't sit well with Kevin.

"I say you do some thinking and we leave Max right where she is," Kevin found himself saying.

Everyone turned to look at him, their faces a myriad of shock and bewilderment. He, too, was surprised at the harshness in his tone.

Forcing his voice to soften, he elaborated, "Look...Max wanted to make Chloe's life better, so she saved her dad from dying. Turns out, she probably made her life worse and now she has to come to terms with that. You guys weren't there. You didn't see how Max reacted. You didn't see Chloe. She seems like an entirely different person now and this is all because of something that Max did. Max needs to be with Chloe right now. They need to be together. So I say we leave them be and you guys do whatever it is that you do and figure out how to un-fuck this whole thing."

In speaking candidly, Kevin provoked smiles from his audience despite the distressing events being discussed. Peter and Charlie's faces were split open in wide grins, while Olivia's sweet, yet awkward, smile came to light. Walter, on the other hand, grew sad and nodded slowly as if he understood all too well what Kevin was saying.

 _He's done something before. He understands what Max is going through. He changed something or used his crazy science to do something that he shouldn't have done and he's living with the consequences. I don't even want to think about what kind of bat-shit crazy things a man like him could do._

"And while we're doing 'whatever it is that we do', what shall you be doing?" Olivia asked playfully. Kevin could tell that she approved of his assessment and even agreed to his proposal. Feeling relieved that everything was settled, a wave of tiredness washed over him and he exhaled heavily.

"I'm wiped out and all this talk about alternate universes is making my head spin. I'm going to go lie down… if that's okay with everyone else?" asked Kevin.

A few moments later, Charlie led him upstairs and directed him towards the room that he and Max shared the other night. Even though they shared the bed for no more than a few hours, Kevin felt as if this bed was theirs now. Feelings of awkwardness assaulted him as he lay down without her. He felt as if a part of him was missing and that the extra space on the bed was preparing to swallow him up at any moment.

Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing and forced himself to be calm. He analyzed the emotions that were waging war with one another inside of him. He had this strange connection to Max… or was it an attraction? Sure, he was attracted to her but not in the sense of love or lust. It was something else. Comradery, maybe?

As thoughts of love and lust passed through his mind, his heart immediately ached to know if Kate was safe or not. He pulled out his phone and felt his chest grow heavy and tight as he searched through his list of contacts and messages. In this new reality, he had never gotten Kate's number. Never called her. Never texted her, and who knows if he had ever spoken with her. There was nothing to indicate that she had tried to kill herself though, so that was at least good news. He forced himself to be optimistic and focus on that shred of happiness. Feeling slightly less gloomy, he went back to analyzing the situation.

 _So, since Chloe is now an entirely different person and almost completely paralyzed, something must have changed with Max over the years. And with Chloe immobilized, Max never had to save her from being shot from Nathan._

 _I wonder if this alternate Max would have ever gotten time travel powers? Either way, Max's life had been much more normal. And instead of spending time running around with Chloe and saving Kate from the roof of the dorms, she must have spent time with me instead. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I probably asked her out and she obviously accepted. I don't see her asking me out because she's so shy and introverted. Wait, what am I thinking? She could have been a completely different Max in this new reality, so who knows? But what about Kate?_

 _And why do I have a different car? That doesn't make any damned sense!_

Looking through the rest of his phone, he didn't see anything else out of order. He and Warren were still good friends, except it seemed that Warren and Brooke were together and had been together for some time. _So, judging by that, I would guess that Warren never was interested in Max in this reality so this alternate Max must be different than the Max that I knew...or know. Goddamnit._ Further investigation showed that Max had wanted to officially introduce him as her boyfriend to her friends Victoria, Nathan and the rest of the Vortex Club. _This is so freaking weird. Victoria and Max friends… and Nathan?_

Just thinking about Nathan made his body unconsciously tense in anger. _I don't give a damn what reality this is. There's no way I'll ever forgive that son of a bitch._

Closing his eyes once again, he put down his phone and spent the next several minutes forcing himself to relax again. His thoughts soon drifted to a happier place as he wondered what event had kick-started his relationship with Max. A series of incredibly cliché scenarios flew through his mind one after the other and he couldn't help but smile. Gradually, he became tired again. As he drifted off into an uneasy sleep, his thoughts wandered from Max to Kate and his last conscious thought was of bringing flowers to Kate in the hospital.

* * *

Death… the stench of death was all around him, suffocating and nearly paralyzing. The corridor he was in was littered with bodies. Or in some cases, what was left of bodies. The scene was as gruesome as it was horrifying. His stomach twisted in disgust as he slowly made his way past countless brutalized corpses, each one more disfigured than the last. Some had clearly been shot, others burned, while many others had been brutally hacked to pieces. The floor was slick with blood and the walls were streaked red in some places and black in others. The air was thick with smoke and several fires burned in the rooms on either side of the hallway. He passed them by with disinterest. Something was in front of him and he had to find it.

As he slowly made his way through the complex, he noted that the walls were metallic as was the floor. His heavy footfalls echoed menacingly around him as he trudged through the horror. The structure seemed incredibly solid, but a fierce battle, or perhaps more appropriately a slaughter, had taken place here. He noticed improvised barricades, doors that had been blown open, discarded weapons, and corpses… so many corpses.

After inspecting some of the bodies that he was able to stomach looking at, he noted that some were soldiers of some kind due to their thick body armor but others didn't seem to be soldiers at all. Despite their differences, they had all died. Some in more imaginative and gruesome ways than others, but death was death. Some of the dead men and women stared back at him lifelessly while others no longer had faces, or were missing their heads entirely. Despite the growing nausea that he felt, he had to keep going. He had to find something.

What had happened here? What had happened to all of these people? Should he be afraid? Was he the only survivor? These questions and many more tore through his head as he hesitantly made his way through the carnage. The grizzly hallway of death seemed to go on forever. When he turned around to see what he had left behind him, all he saw was darkness, he had to keep going. There was no turning back. As he turned back around, he was startled to find what he was looking for.

A young woman, clearly wounded, crawled on the floor through the blood and gore. She struggled to push herself over the dead that lay before her. Moving towards her, he reached out to help her. She pushed herself over to face him, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. She screamed and called out for help. Her screams quickly turned to sobs as she begged and pleaded with him. Her teary eyes locked onto his and for a brief moment he noted how similar this young woman looked to Kate. He smiled. _Kate…_

He shot her point blank in the throat and the last few seconds of the woman's life were spent choking on her own blood, her hands clawing at the gaping wound on her neck as she gasped for air. He hadn't noticed the gun in his hand until the moment after he had pulled the trigger. It fell from his rigid hands. Kevin was horrified at what he had just done. The heavy weapon clattered to the floor as the woman coughed up her last gasp of life, a thick stream of blood squirting from her mouth. Why had he just shot that woman? Had he killed all these people? Why?

 _Because they deserved to die…_

The voice had come from behind him and he turned just in time to see the overwhelming darkness take the shape of a man. The man stepped forward and reached out to him. Kevin scrambled away in fear. There was no escape. The darkness already had him. As Kevin collapsed on the floor, the last of the light went out. In the growing darkness he caught a glimpse of the man's dark green eyes. Soon they were all he could see. They drew closer, threatening to consume him.

* * *

Kevin awoke with a start and bolted upright. Breathing heavily, he noted that he was drenched in sweat, but despite this he felt chilled to the bone. He wrapped the thick blankets tighter around himself and tried futilely to warm himself against the cold that refused to dissipate. The darkness was gone and warm light was flooding in through the rooms' two windows. He could just barely hear the soothing songs of the morning birds.

 _It was just a dream. Relax. It was just a dream._ Kevin forced himself to lay back down and buried himself deeper underneath his blankets and shivered slightly. As he warmed and the chill faded, the lingering images of his nightmare slowly vanished. Activity from downstairs filtered into his awareness. Checking his phone, he noted that there wasn't much time before his first class of the day. He had to get up, even if the thought of getting out of bed disinterested him entirely. _Assuming my schedule is still the same._

His nightmare soon became a distant, lingering memory. Kevin washed his face in the nearby bathroom and did his best to tidy himself up. After a few moments of fussing with his ruffled hair, he proceeded downstairs, his thoughts turned to breakfast.

Upon entering the kitchen, he discovered that he had been the last to get out of bed despite being the first to fall asleep. Stifling a yawn, he greeted Peter and Olivia, who were sitting at the table sipping on their coffee. Walter lounged in one of the family room recliners, his mind obviously someplace else. As usual Charlie was hard at work in the kitchen, but a quick glance around confirmed Kimmy's absence. Kevin frowned. _Where is she?_

Olivia sprang up from her seat to cross the kitchen to Kevin. "Kimberly isn't here," she said. Given everything else going on, it wasn't an impossibility that she could read minds, but Olivia quickly dispelled the thought. "I see you looking for her, but don't bring it up. It will only upset Charlie."

Kevin blinked at her once, stunned. Kimberly had been so close to her uncle the last time he'd visited the house, and he couldn't understand why she'd suddenly disappear.

"What happened? Please tell me she's not —"

Olivia shook her head before he could finish. "No, she's fine," she reassured. "I called Astrid this morning. It turns out that Kimberly and her uncle aren't exactly on speaking terms for some reason, haven't been for years. It might because the girl is set on joining the FBI, but either way bringing it up will probably upset Charlie if you mention that things were different before everything changed, so keep this between us okay?"

"Yeah, I got it..."

"You okay?"

"Yeah... more dreams, I guess. I can barely remember them now, but I certainly recall them sucking." Before Olivia could verbally express the concern that she clearly felt, Kevin's phone buzzed loudly from his pocket. He smiled slightly. "It's Max. I'll tell her that you guys will want to talk to her."

Olivia nodded. "We still need to talk about these dreams though," she added, then returned to her seat by Peter in the kitchen. Kevin answered his phone to Max's nearly incoherent sobs.

"Max, what's wrong?" Kevin found himself nearly shouting as he held his phone to his ear in a death-grip. All too aware that he had attracted the attention of the entire room, Kevin began to distance himself from the concerned faces converging on him.

"I killed Chloe… I killed her and I just watched her die." Max's words were barely discernible through choking sobs. Kevin found himself entirely speechless. What could he say? Luckily for him, Max didn't give him an opportunity to speak, she rambled on, barely stopping to breath.

Chloe had asked Max to kill her by overdosing her with her pain medication. Chloe's health wasn't getting better, would never get better. It would only ever get progressively worse. Max had caused her best friend, her love, to suffer immensely and the guilt was destroying her. She sobbingly confessed that she gave into Chloe's pleas. Chloe drifted away painlessly as if falling asleep for the last time.

Kevin was being bombarded with concerned questions from all sides. Ignoring them, he listened to Max admit to what she saw as her final treachery towards Chloe and her family. Kevin's heart felt as if it were being torn apart. He marched towards the door, pushing his way past Olivia and Peter.

"Max, I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can." His bold words did little to calm the grief-stricken Max. Choking back another sob, she told him not to bother. She was going to go back in time again and set things right. She couldn't accept this new reality that she created, she wouldn't accept it without Chloe.

Without hesitation, Kevin told her that he understood and that he didn't blame her for anything. He told her that he would see her on the other side and wished her luck. As he hung up his phone, he noticed that everyone around him was extremely tense and worried so he explained to them what happened and what was going to happen.

Expecting the most serious reaction from Walter, he kept his eyes on Doctor Bishop. The man continued to be full of surprises. Walter became withdrawn and simply nodded, offering not a single argument. Olivia and Peter, on the other hand, were furious. Olivia in particular.

"She can't just go back in time and change things again, right Walter? Hey, what's the matter with you?" Peter practically shouted.

"I love you, son." Walter managed feebly, causing Peter to let go of his aggression and soften towards his father. Peter approached Walter and carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. It would have been a warm, tender moment if Olivia hadn't been raising her own objections.

"Kevin, you have to call her back. _Right now!_ We have to talk her out of it! We have no idea how much worse things are going to get. You need to stop her."

Kevin looked back at Olivia, defiance burning in his eyes. Her eyes widened in shock as he hurled his phone into the wall, smashing it to pieces. He turned back to face them and smiled grimly as he saw Olivia reach for her own phone.

"No," he responded flatly, even though it was already crystal-clear where he stood.

Olivia, phone in hand, was so consumed with calling Max that she failed to notice him diving towards her. Charlie made a desperate attempt to intercept Kevin, but he was too slow. Kevin and Olivia crashed down to the hardwood floor before he could reach them, her phone flying across the room.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Peter shouted as he and Charlie wrenched Kevin off of Olivia. Kevin was lifted off of his feet, and he braced himself as he was shoved against the wall.

* * *

Kevin nearly fell over as he threw himself off balance bracing against a force that no longer existed. As he flailed about, he reached out to the nearby wall to steady himself only to realize that his hands were full. Twisting his body, he collided shoulder first with an extremely solid and hard wall, without damaging anything except perhaps himself. Leaning against the wall, he took stock of the objects in his hands and his surroundings.

He appeared to be in a hallway of a hospital, and he held a large and rather immaculate looking bouquet of colorful flowers with an attached card in one hand and a small box in the other. Feeling slightly more able, he inspected the envelope. Kate's name was scrawled across the front in what looked like his handwriting _._

Kevin took a deep breath. Max rewound time before Olivia could intervene. He let the breath out in a slow, relieved exhale. The release of air soothed his rigid body.

 _Okay, so I'm at the hospital getting ready to visit Kate and I've gone and gotten her flowers… and what's this?_

He shifted the flowers into the crook of his arm so he could use both hands to pry open the small box he held in his hands. His breath caught in his throat as he revealed the exact same necklace he'd given Max in the alternate reality.

 _Was this the only fucking necklace at the store? For fucks sake, I hope she was born in September as well or else this is going to be really fucking embarrassing. And why the hell did I buy her a necklace? She's always wearing that golden cross of hers! Weren't there any bracelets at the store? What if she likes gold better than silver, you fucking moron! I barely know her — what am I doing buying her jewelry anyway? These damned flowers probably cost a fortune as it is, where the hell did I get these anyway? For fucks sake, how long have I been on auto-pilot?_

He pocketed the jewelry box and realized that he'd been standing in front of a door right before he had nearly fallen over.

 _Is this Kate's door? Did I knock already? Should I just run away now and figure out what the hell is going on before I walk into a situation pretty much blind?_

His thoughts were cut short as the door slowly opened away from him and a smiling, radiant Kate Marsh stepped forward to greet him. She was simply dressed in what were probably pajamas—turquoise sweatpants and a small white t-shirt that fit her snuggly around her shoulders and chest but was more lose around her stomach. Her shirt had a strip of turquoise material around the collar and a circular picture of colorful flowers in the center of her chest. Kevin felt his heart skip a beat when he noticed that Kate's dirty-blonde hair was not up in its usual immaculate bun, but had been let down to cascade beautifully around her shoulders. He barely had time to react as she drew herself closer and warmly embraced him.

All of his previous worries were banished at that moment. Nothing mattered anymore except for the fact that he was holding her and she was holding him. He could tell from the way that she held him that he was hers and she was his. He didn't know how it had happened or when it had happened, but at that very moment all he cared about was that it _had_ happened. As they slowly drew apart, her eyes caught on the flowers he brought for her. Her hazel eyes met his and her cheeks reddened ever so slightly. Smiling at him, she accepted the flowers and invited him inside. _Okay, so we're hugging, but flowers still make her blush… dating or not dating?_

Kevin didn't want to dismiss how adorable he and Max had been or could have been as a couple, but as he sat down across from Kate a feeling of certainty crept into his chest. He felt as if he belonged here. He felt deep within his soul that he belonged with her.

As they sat there talking about nothing in particular, the feeling grew every time she smiled at him. Her smiles were warm and friendly, and she would tilt her head ever so slightly to the left every time she smiled. She seemed like an entirely different person now, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she had stepped out of someone else's skin that she had been trapped in.

"It was adorable how you fell asleep talking to me the other night," she said, causing Kevin to blush and shift in his seat. "I'm glad you messaged me though. It was rough being here at first..."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if it was too late or not. I'm just glad that I didn't disturb you or anything. Sorry about falling asleep on you… I don't even remember doing that." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but Kate giggled at his nervousness.

 _Okay, so that_ _still happened, one step at a time. This is fine. Everything is fine. What am I saying? Everything could be on fire and I'd still be fine, so long as I'm with her._

While they chatted, Kate picked up a small notepad that she must have set aside when she answered the door and continued doodling, humming beautifully as she listened to him speak. She seemed totally and completely relaxed around him. He felt entirely at peace as well, which was odd due to his surroundings. He had been in several hospitals over the years and never once had it been pleasant experience.

Giggling at the joke that he had just told, she looked back up at him again and he looked back at her and they sat like that staring into each other's eyes for an unmeasurable amount of time. He felt another certainly grow inside of him. Nathan would never again harm her again. It would never happen. And if he tried, Kevin would bring the entire goddamned world down upon him in vengeance.

* * *

"So, let me see if I've got this straight. Max went back in time and stopped Chloe's dad from dying and basically rewrote history. Am I doing okay so far?" Olivia nodded to Peter as he looked at first to her and then his father, who seemed to be lost in thought.

Walter had been uncharacteristically quiet since Olivia had first explained to them everything that had happened. Charlie seemed to be just as confused as Peter, but he was okay with that. When things went way above his head, he didn't stress himself with trying to make sense of everything, he just accepted it and did his best. His niece, on the other hand, was paying strict attention, completely absorbed in the discussion.

Peter, encouraged that he was making progress, continued, "Obviously saving Chloe's father changed some things here and there, but she changed more than she anticipated."

"The car gods must be appeased," mumbled Charlie. Everyone turned to face Charlie and the room fell quiet as they stared at him with varying levels of surprise. "What, too soon?" Peter chuckled lightly but quickly turned back towards Olivia and continued.

"Anyways, she ended up saving Chloe's father, but by doing so, sentenced her friend to a life of almost complete paralysis. But it was worse than that, Chloe was slowly dying, so she asked Max to kill her… and she did. Damn. Max is going to need some serious counseling after all this is done. I didn't think she had it in her."

"You would be surprised what lengths someone would go to just to protect someone they love, my son." Walter's words were barely audible, and Olivia detected a hint of sadness in them. Peter nodded absentmindedly towards his father, and placed his hand on his father's shoulder encouragingly.

"But once she killed Chloe, she decided to go back in time again and change things back to the way they were before. Allowing Chloe's father to die, but restoring Chloe to her old self... and it worked?" Peter asked, his grasp on the situation struggling.

"We have to assume it did for the moment. Since that last correction, I haven't been able to get through to any of them. I haven't noticed anything strange happen, so I'm fairly confident that Max accomplished her goal," said Olivia. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. It still was quite sore from when Kevin threw her to the ground. She couldn't help but admire his courage and dedication to his friends, even if she was furious at him for encouraging Max. She could only hope Max's latest revision hadn't caused more irreparable damage. She could hope but experience taught her it probably had.

"But at what cost, Agent Dunham. At what cost?" Walter grumbled almost to himself, but his deep and commanding voice carried throughout the room. Olivia had already brought him up to speed with his theories concerning the alternate universe, and he had simply nodded and thanked her for confirming what he had already suspected.

"So, what are we gonna do about these kids, huh?" Charlie leaned forward, his face growing serious. "We've been getting along pretty well so far, but Kevin has gone rogue and Max needs to be locked down if she's really doing what you say she's doing, Livvy. Give me the word and I can round up some of the local boys so we can grab them."

"I don't want the local police involved. Not yet." Olivia was about to say more, but Charlie's niece spoke up before she could continue.

"I don't think it would be wise to resort to force. From the way Olivia describes it, Kevin was only doing what he thought was best for Max and Chloe. As he's always done. They probably want everything to be resolved as much as you guys do, but can you imagine what Max must be going through right now? She only wanted to help her best friend, but her actions only made her life worse. Then she killed her. I wouldn't be answering my phone right now either. She's probably just happy to have Chloe back right now."

"What about Kevin?" Charlie crossed his arms and waited patiently while Kimberly took a moment before answering.

"If I was him, I would be really nervous about what Olivia is going to do to him," said Kimberly, shooting Olivia a playful smile. Olivia smiled back, doing her best to mimic Kimberly's enthusiasm. "Oh, you bet. He's going to be in big trouble the next time I see him."

"You can hold him and I'll punch, just like you taught me," Kimberly added, shadow-boxing with near-perfect form. Olivia found herself giggling along with Kimberly, her lightheartedness always infected her. She adored Charlie's niece almost as much as she cherished her own.

Charlie smiled and nudged his niece with his shoulder.

"Get him a few times for me, Kimmy."

The mood in the room shifted dramatically and the tension that had been building up slowly for the past several minutes dissipated. Even Walter's spirits seemed to have lifted, if only slightly. Kimberly always knew how to brighten the mood, and she always spoke with more maturity than people expected of her.

Shuddering slightly, Olivia thought back to the previous timeline when she had discovered that Kimberly was planning on joining the FBI. She wanted Charlie's niece to have a better life than she did, and continue to see the good in people that she always seemed to find, no matter what. Jobs like hers had a nasty habit of taking things like that away from people.

"Alright. I'll keep trying to get in touch with our friends. Meanwhile, is there anything else that you can think of that we should be doing? Walter?" asked Olivia, concern creeping into hervoice.

Hearing his name, Walter jumped visibly and it took a few moments for his eyes to focus on her. "I'm sorry, Agent Dunham. All I have are theories at the moment. I would like to speak to young Maxine again. I do have a few questions that I need to ask her."

Nodding, Olivia reached into her pocket, and, as their party slowly dispersed, she deliberately exhaled through her nose as she noted that Max and Kevin still hadn't attempted to reach out to her in response to her multiple calls and messages. Perhaps it was time to try a different approach.

* * *

 _Come and tell their story, gave their lives so boldly, come and tell the Swiss guards' story again…_ The song ended just as triumphantly as it had begun, and Kevin could tell that Kate had listened intently to every single word. He had expected Kate to visibly react to the song from Sabaton, but she listened as the song played, tapping her feet in time with the beat. He was almost certain that her musical interests massively differed from his own, but perhaps he was mistaken. She had clearly never heard the song before judging from the way she had focused on every word of the song, visibly caught up by the story the song told.

Once the song ended, Kate was lost deep in thought, reflecting on what she had just heard. A growing sense of nervous excitement crept into the back of his mind as he awaited her thoughts.

"It's kind of sad. Those poor men. You said this actually happened?" Nodding, Kevin watched as Kate fiddled absentmindedly with the golden cross that she wore around her neck. The small jewelry box in the left pocket of his khaki pants felt as if it were growing in size as he again thought about how foolish he had been for purchasing her a necklace that she would probably never wear. "What happened afterwards?"

Kevin shook his head sadly—there wasn't a happy ending.

"Of the one-hundred and eighty-nine guardsmen, only forty-two survived as they escorted Pope Clement VII to safety. Rome was sacked, the Pope eventually capitulated, and many historians agree that this event marked the end of the Roman Renaissance."

It was at that moment that he began to question his judgement. Kevin had focused too much on his desire to share something with Kate that he hadn't looked at the big picture. _This is one hell of a depressing event… What was I thinking?_ But as it turned out, Kate was far more optimistic than he was. Not that much optimism was required to achieve that distinction.

"But despite the incredible odds those brave men, encouraged by their faith, made their stand and kept fighting even when it seemed hopeless. Thanks, Kevin… It really makes my situation seem like nothing, doesn't it?" she said. Kevin flinched and her eyes went wide with surprise. She leaned towards him, squeezing his hand. "No, no! I didn't mean it like that! It was a beautiful song, really it was! This band really makes history more interesting, don't they?"

"Yes, yes they do. I'm glad you liked it. I really didn't put too much thought into the overall message. I swear." He relaxed slightly as it became more and more obvious that he hadn't upset her, but he was still worried about his lack of foresight on the matter.

"Sure, you didn't," she teased him, and squeezed his hand a second time before withdrawing, smiling sweetly. Her smile vanquished his worries, and he even began to forgive himself for foolishly purchasing her a necklace. "You said you had another song that you wanted to show me?"

"Yeah, right. So, have you heard of Lindsey Stirling?" he asked, and began to bring up the song on his phone.

"Of course, I have! She's so great!" Kate paused for a second as she thought more about his question. "You're going to play one of her video game covers, aren't you?"

"I mean, I had thought of it, so you aren't wrong. But have you heard her song Crystalize yet?" he asked.

Kate's triumphant smile vanished. "Is that new? I'm not sure I have, honestly, but either way I obviously haven't heard it enough."

Nodding, Kevin played the song and scooted his chair closer to hers so they could both watch the music video. They watched in silence for a while until finally, halfway through, Kate sighed and whispered, "I wish I could dance like her and play the violin…"

"I'd love to see that…" Kevin cut himself off, realizing exactly how that sounded, especially with how quickly he blurted it out. Kate giggled and eyed him coyishly.

"Well... maybe I'll learn someday so you can watch."

And there it was, he had accidentally flirted with her and she had flirted right back.

All at once, he felt his face burn bright red and quite possibly brighter when her hand, intentionally or not, came to rest adjacent to his. Her hand lingered next to his and he desired nothing more than to take her hand in his, but his muscles were locked in place as he feared that any movement could possibly ruin the moment. But despite his inaction, the moment was ruined anyway as a light knock at the door caused them both to withdraw from each other.

"Kate?" Kevin immediately recognized Max's voice from the other side of the door. As Kate rose from her seat, he rose as well.

"Oh, Max! I'll be right there!" Smiling once more at him, Kates lowly turned towards the door, but something else caught her attention and she stopped herself mid-turn. "What's that on the floor?"

Following Kate's gaze to the left of his chair, Kevin realized in horror that the small jewelry box that he had shamefully hidden in his pocket had somehow managed to slip out when he got up from his chair.

"Oh… that's nothing." Kevin reached down to retrieve the box, but his flimsy deception failed miserably. Kate was a girl after all. It was nearly impossible for her not to recognize the jewelry box for what it was. Or she had seen his face turn a brighter shade red in embarrassment… or perhaps both, she was extremely perceptive after all.

"Nothing? Kevin Thomas Anderson, you are bright red and you've just dropped a jewelry box! Now hurry up and give me my present before I let Max in, or you can give it me once I let her in. Your choice."

She was really turning up the teasing to eleven, and her smile grew wider by the second. He was trapped and, from the triumphant smile on her face, she knew it. Seeing no alternative action, he swept the box from the ground and sheepishly placed it in her awaiting hand. Smiling deviously, she quickly peeked inside to confirm her suspicions. Satisfied, she rushed to the door and invited Max inside.

"Max! Look at what Kevin just gave me, isn't it beautiful?" Kevin couldn't believe his eyes, he had never seen Kate act in such a way before, and never would have guessed that such a sweet girl was capable of acting so devious. As Kate showed off the necklace to Max, he noticed Max's reaction when she recognized the necklace, and she shot him a surprised look. He shrugged and did his best to act nonchalant, even though he was petrified. As the two girls continued to greet each other, he did his best to politely excuse himself, and just as he tasted freedom, Kate stopped him in his tracks.

"Just where do you think you are going, mister?"

He stammered and searched for the right words, but she cut him off and drew him into a tight embrace, which he accepted without thinking. Kate even planted a soft and slightly hesitant kiss on one of his cheeks, and thanked him profusely for everything and promised that she would call him as soon as she could. He was so stunned by the entire event that as he walked out of the door after saying his goodbyes, he momentarily forgot which cheek that she had kissed him on.

"Whoa, dude, are you okay?"

Even though he should have expected Chloe to be nearby, Kevin nearly jumped out of his skin in response to her question, which only added to the worried expression that she wore. "Hey, take a load off. Sit the fuck down before you fall over!"

Kevin complied and plopped down on a semi-comfortable bench next to Chloe. He took a few moments to collect himself before he turned to face her. He couldn't shake the starkly different Chloe he had seen not too long ago out of his mind, normal-looking but paralyzed.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Shaking his head, he forcibly removed the ghastly image of the other Chloe from his mind.

"You sure? You look like you just saw a ghost or some shit… Has Max been fucking around with time and not telling me?"

Kevin shook his head and did his best to settle down. He was still recovering from Kate's uncharacteristic assertiveness, and, on top of that, he was sitting next to Chloe doing his damnedest not to bring up anything about her being paralyzed—or Max killing her. Hoping to steer the conversation away from himself, Kevin thought back to something that seemed like it had happened weeks ago.

"So, how was making out with Max?" His sudden change of topic caught her completely off guard and left her unbalanced. _Good._ Chloe, always one to play it cool, recovered and adopted a very smug attitude.

"Hella awesome. How was making out with Kate?" It was his turn to be caught off guard and Chloe's smile broadened as her verbal parry struck home.

"How?" Feeling more impressed with her ability to read the situation, then surprised about her analysis, he could only manage one word before Chloe's body language shifted from confident to worried or perhaps even slightly frightened.

"You look exactly how I felt when Max kissed me. We didn't make out. I dared her to kiss me just to prove a point and she totally did. I was hella' scared at first... I didn't know what to do so I tried to play it off." Kevin could tell that one simple kiss had meant a lot to Chloe, and probably had meant just as much to Max. He expected her to snap out of her current state any second, but she didn't.

"Kate kissed me on the cheek. Yeah, I know, right? One tiny little peck on the cheek, and I'm a wreck. I know how you feel. Her confidence and strength came out of nowhere. She all of the sudden seemed like—"

"—a different person? Yeah, I totally get it. Max is different now, too. A good different, though— stronger, more confident. It's like these crazy powers are helping her realize who she really is."

Nodding, Kevin felt that he could say the same about Kate, except in her case, it seemed that she had come out of her suicide attempt stronger than ever. All thanks to Max, who was most certainly going through changes of her own.

"She really likes you. Yah know?" he said, his tone sober. Chloe's posture stiffened for a moment then sank back into the bench. Her face softened as she digested his words, and as she sat there a slight smile crept onto her face.

"I suppose I do now. Life is so… weird. You think you know someone. You've known them for most of your life, but they still manage to surprise you."

"So, would I be correct in inferring that you like her too?" He realized that he had pushed the conversation one step too far as he watched Chloe close herself off, her entire body going rigid.

"What the hell is this? An interrogation?"

"I'm just curious—" He attempted to de-escalate the situation, but the damage had been done.

"Well mind your own shit! Ugh, what now?" Feigning annoyance, Chloe reached into her pocket and glared at her buzzing phone. Kevin saw right through her façade; however, he could sense that she was thankful for the interruption. She answered her phone and leaned back against the wall and relaxed. It was as if he no longer existed to her.

Even only being able to hear half of the conversation, he learned that Olivia had called her and was looking for a status update. He had certainly been ignoring her since their altercation, and it was also entirely possible that Max was avoiding her as well. Sure enough, after a few words had been exchanged between Chloe and Olivia, the phone was shoved in his direction. Sighing loudly, he decided he might as well face the music sooner rather than later, and he accepted the phone, bracing himself for what was to come.

To his surprise, Olivia didn't seem to be as upset with him as he had expected her to be, but she opened the conversation with a warning nonetheless.

"Don't ever do that again," her voice was cold, though not entirely threatening.

"Ominous," he responded sarcastically.

"I mean it. Look, I know why you did it, but you have to understand that there are serious repercussions—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm sorry that I had to do what I did, but that's all that you're getting." Olivia was silent for a long time, and he was beginning to worry that he had pushed her over the limit.

"Walter needs to talk to Max, is she with you guys?"

Kevin cast a sidelong glance at Chloe, who was doing a good job at pretending that she wasn't interested in the conversation that was happening on her phone, but he knew she was straining to listen to every word.

"Yeah. She's here. But she's not available at the moment. I'll let her know that you guys need to speak to her. Peace." He hung up before Olivia could say anything else, and he shoved the phone at Chloe, who was taken aback by his curtness.

"What did she want?" Chloe demanded, even though she was trying to keep her voice as disinterested as possible.

"Didn't say, just that they wanted to speak with Max sooner rather than later. Which I imagine will involve more tests on her."

"Fuck that shit… we've got hella' investigating to do today." Kevin's eyebrows shot up and she rolled her eyes. "You can tag along, if you want." As he nodded to show that he did indeed desire to tag along, she shrugged as if it didn't matter either way, but he could tell that she was at least slightly pleased that he had accepted.

They only had to wait a few more minutes for Max and Kate to finish up, and when Max exited the room, she crossed her arms and glared at him roguishly.

"You didn't waste any time sweeping her off her feet, now did you?" He felt his face flush with color but before he could blurt out a hasty response Max continued speaking. "She really likes you... like, a lot." Not really knowing what to say, he simply nodded that he understood. Chloe leaned over his right shoulder and put her head uncomfortably close to his.

"And if you break her heart… Max and I will use her rewind powers to kick the shit out of you over and over again. Just think about it." He did his best not to flinch as he thought about the numerous diabolical ways that they could utilize Max's powers to torture him. Having said what she needed to say, Chloe stood up and motioned towards the elevator with her head, and without another word the trio set off.


	10. Dark Force Rising

**Dark Force Rising**

The journey back to Blackwell was as uneventful as it was quick. However, it took him some time to find his car in the hospital parking lot due to the fact that he was at first looking for a blue Celica instead of a white Mazda. Luckily neither Max nor Chloe noticed his momentary confusion and in a matter of moments they were on their way back to school to search for clues in Nathan's room.

Max and Chloe were hoping that Nathan wasn't in his room so they would have an opportunity to take a peek inside. If Nathan was in his room Kevin was certain that he wouldn't allow such a minor detail to bother him. Interrogating Nathan would certainly be an enjoyable experience, especially if he resisted at first.

As Kevin parked his car in the school parking lot, he felt a darkness grow within his chest and he was momentarily shaken by the fact that he wasn't bothered at all by thoughts of inflicting harm on someone else. Exiting his vehicle, he decided that such dark thoughts were reasonable when they concerned Nathan, he was a despicable human that drugged and did god knows what to defenseless girls after all.

As the trio marched across the campus towards the dorms, he noted that his companions seemed to be walking with more vigor today. Their heads were held high, their shoulders straight and their steps were confident and filled with purpose. Perhaps he wasn't the only one among them who desired justice for Kate, but in his case, he knew that he didn't just want justice, he wanted revenge.

Upon reaching the dorms, Max and Chloe spread out to talk to some of their friends and peers to see if anyone had seen Nathan. Taking a more direct route, Kevin marched into the dorms and quickly located Nathan's room. Without a second of hesitation, he pounded on the door with barely contained fury.

"Nathan! Are you in there you piece of shit?" He waited for a moment and focused his hearing as best he could, but no sounds responded to him from within. Trying the door, he found it frustratingly locked and he took a moment to listen again, just in case. Sounds of loud music, video games, and perhaps even movies seeped out of the other dorms and clashed for dominance. Sighing in annoyance, he crossed his arms and pondered his options. Nathan was clearly not inside but aside from bashing down his door or climbing through his window, Kevin couldn't think of a less conspicuous way to gain access to the room. As he stood there pondering on what to do next, he almost didn't notice Max come to stand behind him.

"Did Kate help you find his room too?" she asked quickly as she carefully stuffed her phone into her pocket. Kevin shook his head in response and returned to his thoughts as he glared at the obstacle before him. Max hesitantly tried the door and seemed slightly disappointed when the door didn't open. Before he could tell her that he had already tried to open the door, Max quickly moved to the right of the door and grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher. Momentarily confused, Kevin kept his comments to himself and his jaw dropped as Max bashed the door handle and opened the door.

"Max… what the hell are you doing?" His words were hushed and he looked around the hallways to make sure no one was around as she returned the extinguisher. Ignoring him, she burst into the room and before he could move to follow, he felt the world shift around him. As he marveled in wonder from the experience, he watched breathlessly as the ruined door repaired itself before him. The door mended, he felt the world shift again, and he exhaled in awe as Max unlocked and opened the door. She wore a devious and triumphant smile as she invited him inside.

"All you, mad Max. I'm going to go and keep watch in case Nathan shows his face… if he does, I'll keep him busy for you."

Nodding, Max told him that Chloe was keeping watch at the front door of the dorms and that she would search the room as quickly as she could. As she closed the door, Kevin made his way to join Chloe. He found her leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as she peered out the door's small window.

"Max is inside…"

Chloe turned to him as he spoke and nodded before turning back to her sentry duties. Kevin posted himself up on the opposite side of the door and mimicked her stance, but before he could bring up Max's ingenious method for gaining entry, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He felt his spirits lift considerably as he discovered that Kate had sent him a message. She must have assumed that he had joined Max and Chloe on their search for clues, because her message stressed that he should be careful and that she didn't want any harm to come to him because of her. Smiling at her concerns, he told her not to worry and reassured her that they would be careful. _Nathan should be the one to worry, if he shows up he's going to be in for a rude surprise._

Chloe noticed the all too foolish smile spreading across Kevin's face and teased him relentlessly for it. Kevin ignored her because something far more important than her jests had caught his undivided attention. Telling his friend not to move an inch, her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she nonetheless obeyed. He raced to his room and grabbed his laptop bag, stopping only to ensure that his camera was inside. Returning to Chloe, he was relieved to discover that she had complied with his request and that she had remained exactly where she was.

"Oh my God really? You and Max are such nerds…" Chloe scoffed as she watched him remove his camera and frame up his shot. Turning away from him, she returned her gaze to the window and settled back into her sentry duties. Smiling as he lined up the shot, he marveled at the contrast of the lighting on Chloe's face. The pale indoor light reflected off of part of Chloe's face, while the rest was shadowed slightly due to her position and the angle in which she stood. Her intense and searching stare added a sense of mystery to the shot. Steadying his breathing, he took the shot and smiled in triumph as he returned his camera to his bag. He didn't need to check over his work at the moment, because he knew that he had again succeeded at capturing perfection.

As he was finishing securing his camera in his bag, he noticed a triumphant looking Max round the corner and hurry towards them.

"Damn. Max, you're finally back… I got worried." Rolling his eyes, Kevin resisted teasing Chloe about her concerns, because even without Max's short time manipulation, she hadn't really been gone that long. "So, what did you find?"

"His room was clean… and creepy," said Max, turning to remove something from her camera bag. Max revealed a clear plastic bag that contained a few items, including a phone. "Check this out…"

Max handed the bag to Chloe so she could inspect the contents, and the door they should have been watching opened, a surprised looking Nathan stumbling through it. Max managed to hide her prize in time, and for a moment the trio stared at Nathan in surprise while he stared back.

"What are you doing in my dorm?" Nathan stammered out. He turned his gaze on Kevin, his eyes narrowing. "Girls aren't allowed in here, man… and what is she doing here?" Nathan leveled an accusing finger at Chloe, who crossed her arms and shifted her stance defiantly.

"What are you going to do… report me for bringing girls into _your_ dorm?" Stressing the word 'your' in a taunting manner, Kevin took a step towards Nathan. "How about I tell everyone about that gun you are carrying around? Or how you're a sick sonofabitch who likes drugging girls for fun?"

Nathan reacted as rashly as Kevin had expected him to and reached behind him, probably for the aforementioned firearm. Anticipating this maneuver, Kevin cleared the distance between the two of them in an instant. He used his left hand to grab Nathan's gun-arm, and swiftly punched Nathan in his throat with his left. Nathan staggered back in surprise and dropped his gun as Kevin wrenched his right arm at an odd angle. The pistol clattered heavily on the floor, and Nathan cried out in pain as he was driven against the wall.

"Get off me—!" Nathan managed to call out, but was cut short as Kevin fiercely headbutt him in the face. Recoiling painfully from the blow, Nathan struggled again, but Kevin drove his fist into his stomach and the fight left Nathan as a gasp of air was forced out of his lungs.

Hitting him again and again, Kevin drove him to the ground, and once he was certain that Nathan would resist no longer, he snatched Nathan's discarded firearm. Recalling Charlie's deft movements, he released the magazine and as it slid out he noted that the gun was fully loaded. Shoving the rounds back into the weapon, Kevin cocked the gun and levelled it on his defeated foe. Sensing movement behind him, he cast a quick glance and noticed that Max and Chloe were frozen in place and that Warren had just now come around the corner.

"Go back to your room, Warren. You didn't see anything," said Kevin.

Momentarily stunned by the seriousness of Kevin's voice, Warren shrugged and turned to go. "Didn't see what?" He responded, sounding almost bored.

Turning his full attention back to Nathan, Kevin shoved the gun into his chest and used his free hand to drag him off of the ground and back to his feet, still pressed firmly against the wall.

"Now you listen and you listen well… You're going to tell me exactly what you did to Kate or I swear to God that I will put a fucking bullet in you!"

Nathan's eyes went wide with fear as the barrel of his own gun was pressed harder and harder against his chest. Nathan stammered for a moment that he hadn't done anything but Kevin quickly cut him off as he quickly repositioned the gun to press into Nathan's cheek.

"Don't you dare try and lie to me. Now speak before I redecorate this wall with an interesting new color I like to call 'hint of brain." Kevin could feel the darkness grow within him, and it urged him on, lusting for vengeance. It cheered as his finger moved closer to the trigger.

"Kevin, this… this isn't the way." Max was suddenly beside him, and she had a pleading look in her eyes as she reached out to him. Gingerly placing one hand on his shoulder, she used the other to inch his arm back, bringing the gun away from Nathan's face. Kevin's eyes went from Max to Chloe and then back to Nathan. Chloe, to her credit, was doing her best to contain her enjoyment of the scene, but Max's face was full of worry and fear.

Nathan had gone completely pale with dread and probably wouldn't have been able to speak even if he wanted to. Letting out a sigh of disgust, Kevin withdrew the gun, which felt ten times heavier than it had before, and flicked the safety on. Glaring at Nathan, he slowly let him go and withdrew a few paces. Max breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm keeping this by the way. Don't worry, I'll bring it back. And when I do, you will tell me everything you did. Everything," said Kevin, tucking the pistol into his laptop bag and casting Nathan one last threatening look.

Kevin pushed open the door to the stairwell and attacked the stairs with barely contained fury. _Damn you, Max. I should have just shot him! We know he did it… who cares about doing it properly?_

He fumed all the way up the stairs, and his mood still hadn't improved as he exited the dorms and made his way outside. Shielding his eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight, he glared at his surroundings. There were far too many people around at the moment. He desired to be alone, but he didn't dare go back to his dorm. He had frightened Nathan half to death, but that didn't mean he wouldn't regain his courage and do something in retaliation.

Having made up his mind, Kevin decided that he would leave campus and drive… somewhere. As he began to make his way away from the dorms, he heard Max coming up behind him.

"Kevin! Are you… okay?" She was plainly worried about him, but he shrugged off her concerns.

"I'm fine. I just want to be alone."

Stung by his quick and intense words, she recoiled slightly. Her shoulders slumped and her face saddened but she persisted. "But—"

Not in the mood for conversation, and feeling like he'd done his job to convey that, Kevin turned away from her and stormed off.

"Let him go, Max… just let him go." Chloe's tone was hard, clearly angered by his rough treatment of Max, but she seemed to understand enough of what was going on to keep Max at bay as he quickly put distance between himself and his two friends.

* * *

Kevin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket for the third time as he trudged up the steep path. Exhaling in frustration, he finally gave in to the furious buzzing and wrenched it out of his pocket. Two messages were from Max and a third was from Olivia.

Max's first message stated that she and Chloe were on their way to meet with Frank to see if he was willing to aid them with their investigation into Nathan and Rachel. Her second message stated that things had gotten dicey, but everything had worked out and that they acquired some information from Frank that would help. She also mentioned that they were on their way to Chloe's to see if they could organize all their clues into something cohesive, and that they could use his help with combining all of the puzzle pieces together.

Expecting Olivia's message to be more of the same, he was surprised to see that it wasn't at all what he had expected. _Max told us what happened, call if you need to talk._ He was tempted to take her up on the offer, but as he neared his destination he decided against it.

He had reached the lighthouse and, as he had expected, it was deserted. He had wanted to be alone and away from everything. This was the best place to achieve those results. The junkyard had been a possibility as well, but that place had creeped him out. Here he could be away from everyone and everything. As he took in the peacefulness of his surroundings, he began to feel better, if only slightly.

The waves crashed against the cliff far below and a light breeze tickled his skin, causing a slight shiver to run down his neck. The trees swayed back and forth, and song-birds darted this way and that as they went about their business. As Kevin sat down on the lone bench, he cast his gaze out to the open ocean and felt the beginnings of regret enter into his mind.

He shouldn't have been so hard on Max. She stopped him from doing something that he probably would have regretted. He could have pulled the trigger and shot Nathan, and, even though Max could have used her powers to stop him from doing so, he would have always remembered it.

Shuddering at the thought of taking the life of another person, even one such as Nathan's, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Doing his best not to feel sorry for himself, he knew that he had to apologize to Max, and soon, she had only been worried about him after all. Max had acted like a good friend and he had spurned her for it, luckily, he had gotten away from everyone before his dark mood had caused any further damage.

The darkness was gone now, but he still felt it lurking somewhere deep inside of himself all the same. He took a deep and calming breath and slowly exhaled, the saltiness of the sea flooded into him and he felt revitalized almost immediately. Stretching out on the bench, he placed his laptop bag next to him, opened it, and regarded its contents. Nathan's gun stared back at him from within, as if it were beckoning him to take hold of it once again. He could feel wisps of the darkness egging him on, encouraging him to take hold of it once again. He thought of tossing the firearm over the cliff to rid himself of the temptation, but he held back. The gun may come in handy before all of this was over.

He ignored the gun and reached into a side pocket instead. He took out the picture that Max had taken of him and Kate. _I should just go back to the hospital and visit Kate again. I wonder if her parents have made their way out to see her yet…_

Hearing movement behind him, his thoughts were interrupted, and he quickly but carefully tucked the photograph back inside his bag and sealed it. Turning around, he noticed three men making their way up the path towards him. They were all plainly and efficiently dressed, not really standing out in any way. The three men were hard and rough looking, and wore their eerily similar clothes almost like uniforms.

Their purposeful approach gave him a bad feeling. The man in the lead was wearing dark aviator sunglasses, but Kevin was certain that he was staring right at him. His hair was jet-black and slicked back, and his hard face was accented by thick, dark stubble. His hands were deep in his pockets, his posture steady as he marched up the path, determination in his heavy steps.

To the man's left was a big, meaty-headed man, who was scanning the area around them, as if looking for threats. He was broad-shouldered, thick-chested and dangerous looking. The third and final man had a softer appearance than the other two, but matched their formidability. He had a full beard and goatee of light brown hair that accented an almost kind face. A pair of piercingly intelligent blue eyes bore down on Kevin. He found himself reaching for his bag where the gun was hidden as a chill shot up his spine. Unzipping the bag, he yanked the strap around his shoulder and prepared to leave, his hand inches away from the opening, ready to grasp the weapon if these men were as much trouble as they seemed.

As he shot to his feet, the men unhurriedly fanned out around him. There was no doubt about it now, they were here for him.

Kevin's hand shot into his bag and grabbed hold of his gun, but, as he did so, quick and practiced movements gave him pause as the three men drew their concealed weapons on him. Realizing that it was too late, he froze mid-motion of withdrawing the pistol from his bag.

One of the men shouted out, and, in an instant, Kevin collapsed hard on the ground. His entire body had gone numb. Struggle as he might, he couldn't move a muscle. Panic set in as his mind slowly came to the realization that he had been shot, but the sensation was nothing like when Nathan had shot him. There was no pain, no burning sensation, no fatigue. He simply felt nothing.

"Blast it all, Canderous—!" one of the men called out, but was quickly cut off by a rough, calm voice.

"What? The kid had a weapon."

The men approached him, their rough voices and the rhythmic crunch of the autumn leaves under their boots drew closer.

"And what if he had fallen off of the cliff?" The third voice was calm and collected, but contained a hint of annoyance. "What would we have told the boss?"

"He would have been okay with it, I think," chuckled the probable Canderous, the dangerous meat-head who'd just entered Kevin's field of blurred vision. There was nothing soft about the man's appearance at all, everything about the man, from his solid muscles to his wretched smile, screamed danger.

"Yes, I'm sure that whole part where he stressed that we 'keep him alive,' was just a misunderstanding, eh Candy?"

"Piss off, Gerrard. The kid's fine… just stunned."

The men were above him now. His heart beat pounded in his ears and he felt as if it would rip itself out of his chest at any moment. "And Hans… you know me. If I had wanted to kill the kid, he'd be fuckin' dead."

"It's a good thing that you restrained yourself then," a fourth voice, eerily familiar, called out from a distance. He heard and almost felt the three men around him tense as the newcomer approached. "Alright then... Lieutenant grab that weapon and check his bag. You two get him up and sort him out. I would like to speak with him, now."

* * *

The world flashed back to Kevin in agonizing suddenness that made his head spin, the abrupt sense of overwhelming vertigo clawing at his consciousness. He keeled over, but two pairs of sturdy hands held him upright by the shoulders. They quickly released him when he lurched forward and vomited. Narrowly avoiding covering his sneakers in what had formerly been the contents of his stomach, Kevin choked and gasped for air.

"That's it. Get it all out. There we go," an almost kind voice reassured him, as Kevin retched.

When he could breathe again, Kevin wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. One of the men from earlier knelt down in front of him, taking care not to step in the vomit.

Scanning his surroundings for a moment, Kevin realized that he was sitting on the same bench that he had been previously and his peaceful surroundings contrasted cruelly with his present situation.

The man with the kind face and piercing eyes nodded to the men behind Kevin, and he was pulled upright, his vertigo had subsided slightly, but he still reeled from the motion. "Easy… just take it easy."

"Quit fucking babying him, Gerrard. Is he ready?" The rough and harsh voice could only have come from the meaty-headed Canderous, and, as Kevin watched the alleged Gerrard react to the comment, he could see traces of hostility cross Gerrard's face.

"He needs some more time. It isn't easy being brought out of stun like—"

Canderous let out a monstrously unnerving laugh, cutting Gerrard off mid-sentence. "Yeah, well… I wouldn't know."

Kevin could see that a troubled history existed between the two as he watched Gerrard's challenging glare fire back over Kevin's right shoulder.

"Care to find out?" Gerrard's face had lost all of its pleasantness, and his voice was full of ice and venom. He may appear to be the 'good cop' of the bunch, but it was quite clear that he was no stranger to his other, nastier emotions either.

"Knock it off, you two," came the disinterested but firm voice from over his left shoulder. Kevin turned slightly to see that the man wearing the aviator sunglasses was regarding his two colleagues in a calm, but somehow threatening manner, this was probably Hans. Canderous grunted dismissively, but remained silent, and Kevin felt the hand on his right shoulder dig into bone for a moment. Noticing Kevin wince in pain, Gerrard glared fiercely at Canderous. The man remained silent despite his reaction, and he took a few steps back. Crossing his arms, Gerrard regarded the captive Kevin for a moment.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions and it is in your best interest to answer them quickly and truthfully. Cooperate with us and this whole experience will be much easier for you," said Gerrard, with an air of entirely misplaced formality.

Kevin blinked in bewilderment and swallowed involuntarily, his dry throat complicating the simple maneuver. Gerrard cast a glance over Kevin's right shoulder, and when he followed his gaze, he saw Canderous cruelly glaring right back at him.

 _Great, so cooperate or the meaty-headed asshole is going to beat the shit out of you… I can read between the lines._ Nodding, Kevin put on a defiantly brave face and set his eyes on his interrogator.

"What's your name?" asked Gerrard,

The simplicity of the question gave Kevin pause. Blinking in astonishment, he stared back at Gerrard. Obviously interpreting his hesitation as reluctance to answer, Canderous gripped his shoulder harder. As Kevin winced from the pain the massive man leaned closer to him, his hot, sticky breath assaulting the side of his face.

"Answer the question," Canderous gritted out, each word coming out slowly and containing more threat than its predecessor. Canderous got right into Kevin's face. Kevin looked deep into the man's eyes, and he became morbidly certain that no matter what threat the man made, no matter how cruel, he would carry out. Hans cleared his throat, as if in warning. Canderous immediately softened his grip, and leaned away from Kevin.

Despite the obvious cruelty emanating from Canderous, Kevin found Hans to be the more frightening of the two. He almost seemed robotic, barely showing any emotions as he regarded the world coldly from behind his dark sunglasses. Furthermore, he seemed to have a fair degree of control over the brute. That was truly terrifying.

"Your name, please," repeated Gerrard. Snapping his attention back to the least threatening of the group, Kevin sighed, and resigned himself to whatever fate awaited him.

"Kevin…"

"Just Kevin? What, like Madonna or Cher? That sort of thing normal around here? Your full name, please."

"Kevin Thomas Anderson."

"Where were you born?"

"Sarnia, Ontario."

"Why are you here?"

"I go to school—"

"What do you study?"

"Photography."

"Who is the girl in this photograph?" asked Gerrard, revealing as if from nowhere, the photograph that Max had taken of him and Kate. The man's eyes bored into him as he studied Kevin's reactions to the object he'd presented.

Kevin didn't know why Gerrard was asking about Kate, but he was done cooperating. He stared back defiantly at his interrogator. Gerrard's face saddened, and, after they stared at each other for a few more moments, he nodded to Kevin's right and looked away.

The world went black and then exploded into piercing colors. Gasping in shock, Kevin felt himself being dragged upright again. The right side of his head throbbed but he struggled through the pain.

Canderous gripped him tighter and Kevin groaned from the pain. It intensified as Canderous jerked him around and vertigo began to overtake him. A single, hot tear streaked down Kevin's face, to his shame, and he renewed his struggle.

"You want some more, kid?" taunted Canderous.

Despite his resistance, Kevin was held solidly in place, but he refused to give up. These men had asked about, Kate but they were going to get anything from him. None of it made any sense, but he didn't care. Redoubling his efforts, he twisted in place and braced himself for the inevitable blow to the head from Canderous.

"Enough!"

Everything came to a halt and Kevin felt again that he recognized the voice. He had momentarily forgotten about the fourth voice from earlier, and as he slowly recovered from the ordeal he could hear someone approaching him from behind.

"Release him."

Canderous's bruising grip on his shoulders vanished, but Kevin didn't dare to move. The man with the commanding voice approached, causing Gerrard to fiddle with the picture and look down, almost sheepishly. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Kevin watched as the voice took corporal form. The figure was well dressed and his clothes were almost exclusively black. Identification of the somewhat familiar voice was impossible due to the low hanging hood that made any identification an impossibility.

The hooded figure walked towards Gerrard and accepted the picture. He stared down at it for several moments. Gerrard bowed slightly and stood attention, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he awaited further orders. The breeze picked up and tugged playfully at the figure's hood and the flimsy photograph danced in his firm grasp. It wasn't just the voice that was familiar, everything about the mysterious hooded figure tugged at his memory, as if he had met him once before, yet so long ago.

"What would you do if I sought to bring harm upon this girl?" The hooded figure asked as he continued to look down upon the picture. His voice was neutral and held no malice nor did it contain a hint of friendliness either.

"I'd kill you." Kevin surprised himself with his own conviction.

His declaration was met with mocking laughter from the two men that continued to stand behind him. Even Gerrard couldn't contain a soft chuckle, though his eyes held a hint of sadness. The hooded figure raised his right hand and immediately the laughter died away.

"How?" the hooded figure asked with mild curiosity. The man had yet to tear his gaze away from the picture.

The subdued calmness of the hooded figure was getting under Kevin's skin, making him uneasy. That in combination with the interest he possessed in the picture of him and Kate, didn't make sense. _It's just a picture… What the hell is going on? Does Kate know these guys… or do they know her?_

"I… don't know. I just would."

"Fear. It numbs your mind, forcing inaction upon you. How do you expect to save this… Kate from me when your mind is clouded by such thoughts?"

Kevin's froze He hadn't revealed Kate's name, but the mysterious hooded figure knew it anyway. How much did he know? Who was he?

"Perhaps in order to satisfy my curiosity we will need a proper demonstration. Lieutenant, go and fetch the girl. We shall see what our young hero does when his beloved Kate is standing on death's door," said the hooded figure.

Kevin shot to his feet and lunged towards the hooded figure.

Gerrard reacted with alarming speed and intercepted him, drawing his weapon. Kevin twisted his body and grabbed hold of the man's gun arm. He twisted the man's arm fiercely to one side, and used his right leg to kick the man's legs out from underneath him.

Gerrard hit the ground with a grunt and Kevin continued to apply pressure to the man's arm and brought his elbow down into the man's gut. As Gerrard gasped in surprise, he relaxed his grip on his firearm. Kevin grasped it and hastily aimed it at the still unmoving hooded figure. He felt the elation of victory.

Just as his moment of triumph seemed so near, the icy clutches of defeat choked the feeling from him at the last moment. Unable to breath, his mind froze. Dropping the weapon, Kevin's hands shot reflexively to his throat. Panic tore through him as his hands fumbled around his bare neck. He sunk to his knees, trying in vain to remove the invisible vice grip that was quickly crushing his throat.

As blackness tugged at the limits of his vision, the hooded figure slowly turned to face him and lifted his gaze from the photograph. He dropped the photograph in front of him, and, as Kevin took what he felt would be his last glimpse of Kate, the blurry figure's words cut through him like an icy-hot spear.

"You have failed her."

Suddenly free from the invisible grasp, Kevin gasped for air and collapsed to ground, nearly losing consciousness. Stunned that he could finally breath again, he greedily sucked in air and his hands fumbled for the picture of Kate. Finally grasping it, he felt life slowly returning to him as he was forcibly picked up off of the ground and returned to the bench. His vision was unfocused and his mind swam in confusion, but he held the picture like a lifeline and drew in ragged breaths. _I'm alive? What the fuck just happened?_

"Interesting." The word slowly escaped from the hooded figure, his voice soft and dripping with something akin to admiration.

"Why didn't you just kill him, boss?" Canderous asked gruffly, clearly disappointed that Kevin was still drawing breath.

"He… broke free." The hooded figure seemed confused, but his voice was full of wonder all the same. Hans was currently helping Gerrard back to his feet, and Kevin noticed a look of awe, not hostility like he expected, cross the man's face.

"How the hell did he do that?" Gerrard grunted as he retrieved his weapon and tucked it back into his belt.

"Because he's me."

Having sucked in enough air to feel almost normal again, Kevin shot the hooded figure an incredulous glare and watched as he slowly removed his hood.

Eyes wide with shock, Kevin nearly dropped the photograph that he held onto so dearly as he stared into his own face. The hooded figure _was_ him.

His face was harder, clean shaven, and had a scar running down the right side. The wound had not been deep enough to damage his eye, but had simply passed over it, leaving his sight unaffected. His hair was darker and slicked back much like Hans', and his solid green eyes were emotionless and hard.

"What the hell? Are you from the alternate universe?" asked Kevin.

The alternate version of him cocked his head to one side and his face softened slightly as a confused look crossed his face. It was extremely uncanny and momentarily disturbing; his doppelganger mimicked his facial expressions perfectly.

"Alternate universe… what? No. I'm your… well, you're _my_ clone."

Despite the fact that both explanations were preposterous, Kevin found the answer being presented to him even more far-fetched than his own.

The other him drew closer, a confident and self-assured expression covering his scarred face. "I was taken from this world as a child, and you were left here in my place. Don't ask me why, but here you are, wearing _my_ face. You grew up with _my_ parents. You lived a life that should have been _mine_. Meanwhile, I suffered horrors that you couldn't possibly imagine. I want my life back. Unfortunately for you, you're in my way." With each word, the voice that was eerily similar to his grew more hostile as he drew closer.

"Even if that were true… I lived my life, not yours. You lived your own, and if it sucked, I'm sorry but that life is yours." As Kevin spoke, he watched the face that was so similar to his own twitch angrily, but he simply didn't care anymore, so he continued. "My life is mine, I lived it and you didn't. You can never live my life because you've never experienced everything that I have. I am who I am because of those experiences and because of my choices throughout my life. I'm sorry but you can never be me… no matter how much you look like me."

"You see… that is where you are wrong." The other him smiled deviously, his eyes full of malice.. "Throughout the years I have learned a thing or two, and even though your feeble mind won't be able to comprehend what I am about to tell you, I don't give a damn. I can reach into your mind and take those memories from you and add them to my own. Granted you won't enjoy the experience very much but like I said: 'I don't give a damn'."

Glaring defiantly back at himself, Kevin prepared to launch himself at his doppelganger, but the boy's henchmen must have noticed this, because two of them reacted quickly and pinned him down.

"Fine… whatever. Do what you're going to do. But you've got to promise me something. If you're me or I'm you... or whatever the fuck, you can't lie to yourself, right?" The men holding him down grasped him tighter as Kevin struggled, and chuckled as he pleaded with himself. _Fuck them… laugh all you want._ The laughter was cut short as his doppelganger raised a commanding hand and silenced his men.

"Whatever you may think of me… know this: I am a man of honor to those who deserve it. Ask away."

"Keep Kate safe. There's some nasty shit going on around here and you'll probably be better able to deal with it than me anyway." As Kevin spoke, he felt the fight leave him, and he slumped down on the bench. The men holding him obviously suspected that he was attempting to trick them, because they only tightened their hold on him. As he prepared himself for what was to come, Kevin felt an unbearable sadness creep into his heart. This man didn't deserve Kate, but what could he do to fight him?

"I will." As his doppelganger said this, the boy reached out and reverently placed his hand on Kevin's head that was lowered in defeat. Bracing himself for what was to come, Kevin wished desperately that he could see Kate one last time, and he clutched desperately at the photograph that Max had taken of them.

Time crawled by in agonizing slowness and Kevin began to fidget nervously as it became more and more apparent that nothing was happening.

"Uh… boss?" Canderous, obviously a man of action who hated sitting around, shifted his stance uncomfortably, and Kevin felt his hands relax slightly. "You gonna do the thing?"

Kevin's doppelganger quickly withdrew his hand and let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't! Something is… blocking me."

Kevin raised his head and stared at the scarred version of himself, and the frustrated teenager glared back at him.

"Who trained you?" Each word came out slowly, each held more vehemence and fury than its predecessor.

"What? Nobody!" Kevin responded, his confusion mounting.

"Bullshit! You're resisting me! You also managed to worm your way out of my grasp earlier! How?"

"Dude, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about!" Kevin screamed back, which only seemed to infuriate his doppelganger even more. But before a retort could be made, something behind Kevin caught the attention of both Gerrard and Hans. Their weapons were out in a flash, and Kevin heard Canderous throw himself around and wrench out his sidearm as well.

"Where the fuck did he come from? Why weren't you fuckers keeping watch!" Canderous exclaimed loudly.

"He wasn't there a damned second ago!" Gerrard growled back, his eyes darting from Canderous to the unknown newcomer. Hans seemed much calmer than his comrades, most of his face covered by his aviators. He projected calm and held his weapon at the ready. The other Kevin looked upon the newcomer with vague disinterest and seemed more annoyed than anything.

"You lost friend? As you can see—" He spread his arms wide as he gestured to his men, "You aren't invited to this picnic."

Kevin tore his eyes away from his doppelganger and turned to see who had unfortunately stumbled upon them.

The man was well dressed in a somewhat old-fashioned black suit and wore a matching bowler hat. His face was unnaturally pale and it was full of wonder and he seemed completely oblivious that several dangerous men were aiming their weapons right at him. He seemed particularly interested in Kevin… or perhaps both Kevins as his gaze shot back and forth between them.

Several moments passed and time crawled by at an inexorably slow rate. Canderous twitched nervously as he glared at the man, and Gerrard was slowly moving to the left while Hans moved to the right. Even though he was being slowly surrounded, the strange man continued to appear unthreatened. When the man finally spoke, his voice a few octaves higher than Kevin would have suspected. Everyone flinched in surprise. His voice was harmonious and it reflected his calm demeanor.

"Are you going to kill the boy?" The question, even though an obvious one at the moment, seemed oddly out of place, especially in the nonchalant way that the man said it.

"Listen pal, if you don't tell us who the fuck you are, you're going to start having a really bad—" Canderous immediately went silent as his 'boss' silenced him by softly clearing his throat. Shifting uneasily for a moment, the large man locked his fierce gaze onto the interloper but remained silent, despite the barely contained fury behind his eyes.

"And what if I am?" the other Kevin asked calmly. Several moments passed before the strange man responded.

"I would recommend against such an action." His voice remained calm and wistful, but his relaxed tone couldn't hide the barely veiled threat he had just made.

"Oh? What is he to you?" Seemingly bemused, a small yet devious smile crept across the other boy's face.

"He is—" The interloper paused for a moment as he regarded the men that were slowly surrounding him for the first time. He continued to ignore them, as if their movements were of no concern to him. "—Important."

The boy's face went cold as he reacted to the man's words and he regarded Kevin with annoyance before fixing his gaze back on the strange man.

"Important? What's so important about a thief? He's a clone you know, a clone of _me,_ if you hadn't noticed. If anyone is important it's me. What do you say to that?" His words were quick and harsh. He had clearly become unsteadied by the man's calm words.

The words stung Kevin, as they were probably meant to, and he glared furiously back at the boy who claimed that he was nothing more than a clone. The words, however, had no visible effect on the strange man, who received them, and responded without even blinking.

"He is important because he _is_ you." Even though this explanation was a seemingly obvious answer Kevin immediately noticed the profound effect that they had on his doppelganger. His expression softened and his stance shifted as he moved some of his weight over to his left foot. "There will come a time when one of you won't be enough… but he is right you know. You cannot live his life just as he cannot live yours. Even though you are the same, you are different. That is why he is important, because he is different. Now I ask you again, are you going to kill the boy?"

The man's words were cryptic yet specific, and Kevin couldn't help but gape at the strange man. Kevin felt as if he had seen him somewhere before. The man seemed vaguely familiar even though he was certain that he would have recognized the man if he had seen him previously. His attire was so specific and his face almost seemed unnatural. Kevin's doppelganger did his best to suppress a sigh as he prepared to speak.

Kevin wasn't sure what this strange man with the singsong voice could do to help him, but from his relaxed stance, he felt certain that he would be able to deal with whatever was thrown at him.

"No… I won't kill him. In fact, we're leaving."

Canderous, clearly shocked at the sudden turn of events, spun around, ready to protest but he bit back his words when he saw the dark look clouding his master's face.

"Stand down. Let's go," said Kevin's doppelganger.

Hans and Gerrard immediately obeyed as they holstered their weapons, Canderous followed suit with a great deal of hesitation and glared venomously at the strange man that had interrupted them. "If I see you again, pal, I'll kill you."

The man tilted his head to the left as he turned to regard Canderous. "No, you won't."

Kevin did his best to contain a smile as he watched the large man seethe with frustration before he stomped off towards his comrades. Just as it seemed that the boy and his men would leave without any further words, the boy he was allegedly a clone of turned to face him, his face serious yet friendlier than it had been before.

"Keep her safe."

Shocked, Kevin managed a slight nod and received a creepily similar nod in return before the boy turned and followed his men down the path that led away from the lighthouse. Kevin exhaled slowly. Momentarily dizzy, he shook his head as he tried and failed to process everything that had just happened. He bolted upright when the strange man spoke—he had completely forgotten that he was still here.

"I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Tensing in anticipation of something terrible, Kevin flinched as the man slowly turned and walked into the forest without another word.

Kevin watched him disappear into the thick trees, too afraid to move or call after him. Once the man was completely out of sight, Kevin collapsed onto the bench and, after several moments of heavy breathing, he regarded the picture that he clenched tightly in his hands. _Keep her safe._

Kevin sat on the bench, alone, staring out at the open ocean as his mind recoiled from everything that had just happened. His entire body felt numb. He felt as if he no longer had the strength to stand, much less make the journey back to his car.

 _Was that… am I really a clone? Who were those men with him? Were they really going to kill me? Who was that man with the strange voice that saved me? Am I really as important as he made me out to be? What the fuck is going on?_

Kevin's attention was wrenched away from his thoughts as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Despite the interruption, he welcomed the distraction, because the questions that were circling around inside of his head were obnoxiously unanswerable.

Max was reaching out to him, again. She had attached an address to her message, and pretty much demanded that he meet them there. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Kevin retrieved his laptop bag from the bench where Hans had left it and was surprised to discover that Nathan's gun was inside. Smiling grimly at his fortune, his thoughts went back to the men that had accosted him along with his alleged clone.

Perhaps they were more friend then foe.

* * *

Nearly tripping several times, he rushed down the path that led back towards his car. Kevin cursed and grumbled most of the way back. Throughout the entire journey, he wondered if his haste was necessary or not but he decided that, despite the hazards, he had a certain fleeting feeling that speed was required at the moment. Max had never really demanded anything from him since their odd friendship had taken off, so this must be important. He didn't recognize the address either, so it would probably take him some time locating it, even with G.P.S.

Kevin discovered his car alone in the beachside parking lot. Once the the address was entered into his phone's G.P.S. app, he started his vehicle and set off. His tires frantically grasped for traction on the sand dusted pavement. Grumbling at the inconvenience, he made a mental note to inspect his tires later—it was probably time to purchase new ones after all. His Mazda wasn't really all that fast, but it tore through first gear with surprising speed and torque. This had a negative impact on his rear tires, if the road wasn't perfect they would lose traction almost immediately. As he tore through the backroads of Arcadia Bay, his mind went back to the strange man's apology. _I'm sorry…_ what was he sorry for? He had probably saved Kevin's life after all. It just didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, he realized that he was about to miss his turn, and he slammed on his breaks, wrenching his vehicle to the left. Tires squealing in protest, they mostly kept their grip on the road as he forced his vehicle into a tight turn. Shaking his head in annoyance as he cleared the corner, he focused his mind on the task at hand and willed the thoughts that plagued him to leave him be. Exhaling, he double checked his route and slammed his foot down to the floor. Kevin sped off towards his destination, and the unknown.

Having only almost gotten lost twice on his way, Kevin finally arrived at the address that Max had provided him. He was relieved to discover that Chloe's truck was still parked out front of a worn down and decaying barn. Bringing his vehicle to rest next to Chloe's equally dilapidated truck, he exited his vehicle and listened. Everything was quiet save for the songs of the birds and the obnoxious creaking of a nearby rusted windmill.

* * *

Kevin approached the barn slowly and deliberately unzipped his laptop bag so that his stolen firearm was easily accessible. Suddenly, he felt as if something was wrong and he froze in place. Slowly turning back towards the vehicles, he noticed that he hadn't parked his vehicle for a quick exit as he always did. Torn between returning to his vehicle and fixing his parking job or pressing onward despite his error, he stood in place feeling momentarily overwhelmed with anxiety.

 _Fuck it!_

Despite the uncomfortable feelings creeping into him, he turned his back on his vehicle and proceeded towards the barn. He was determined to reach his friends, who were presumably inside.

 _I have a bad feeling about this._

He wasn't sure why, but as he approached the ill-kept barn, he felt as if something sinister lay inside. Finding the large front door shut and locked, he looked around for an alternative way to gain entry.

As he searched, frantic movement from inside the barn caught his attention, and, in a rush of panicked movement, he tore his pistol out of his laptop bag and flung himself against the wall of the barn. As he flicked the safety off, he heard movement off to his left and, in a flash, Chloe appeared from around the corner of the building and she dashed for her truck.

Kevin composed himself and hid the weapon before Chloe could notice how worked up he was. However, as he watched her tear past him, he noted that she seemed to have more pressing matters on her mind at the moment. The bad feeling deep inside Kevin's stomach spread, laughing as it dared him to dismiss it.

"Chloe! Where's Max?"

Chloe nearly fell over herself in surprise as he called out to her, and she turned to face him as she skidded to a halt next to her truck. She was so worked up that she had failed to notice his car parked next to her truck and was very surprised to see him.

"Kevin! Jesus fuck! You scared the shit out of me! Max is coming… look here she comes. Max, move your skinny little butt! Come on!"

Max hurriedly rounded the corner, and glanced towards Kevin as she raced to Chloe's truck. Max's seemed just as apprehensive as Chloe.

"What did you guys find in there?" Kevin called out, as he quickly moved over to his vehicle.

"It doesn't fucking matter, just follow us!" Chloe responded hastily. Too hastily.

"It does fucking matter. What's gotten into you two?" Kevin responded, perhaps a little too forcefully. Both of the girls turned to face him, and then exchanged worried looks that sent a shiver down his spine, further feeding the monster that was brewing within his stomach. "What was in there?"

"Max… ride with him and tell him. But make sure you two keep up!" said Chloe.

Max hesitated for a moment before nodding, and quickly positioned herself next to the passenger door of his car. Seeing that he had no choice in the matter, Kevin shrugged and did his best to remain patient as he returned to his vehicle.

As he and Max jumped into his car, Chloe's truck threw up dirt and gravel as she reversed back towards the road. Kevin winced as some of the debris kicked up by Chloe's tires assaulted his car, but her hasty departure did give him some room to maneuver. Kevin turned his car around so he could follow Chloe, then he turned to Max and pressed her for details. Max was hesitant to answer, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Kevin felt his stomach tighten into a knot as he easily caught up with Chloe's truck.

"There's a creepy bunker underneath that barn, and there's a high-tech film studio down there." Max paused and cast him an apprehensive look. Kevin's mouth went dry at the sight of her face. He had never seen her this worried. She had never looked so scared, so small. Whatever she and Chloe had found inside that bunker, it wasn't good, not at all. "Kevin… don't freak out, but we found tons of folders down there. Each one had a different girl's name on it. Inside them were pictures. There was an empty folder with Victoria's name on it. We also found folders for Rachel and… Kate."

Kevin's mind went blank with rage. So that's what Nathan had done to her. He had drugged her, taken her to his sadistic dungeon, and taken perverted pictures of her. Nathan was a dead man. Kevin should have killed him earlier when he had the chance. Despite the storm that was brewing inside of him, he did his best to focus on the road and Chloe's truck ahead of him.

Somehow, through clenched teeth, he managed to force out a few words as his mood blackened. "So… where are we going?"

Max visibly reacted to his cold and strained tone. She had been reaching over to comfort him, but hearing the darkness in his voice, she withdrew her hand and turned away from him.

"The junkyard… we found a picture of Nathan posing with Rachel, and Chloe recognized where it was taken. Rachel looked… I don't know, Kevin. She looked—" Max was clearly having difficulty finishing her sentence, so Kevin did it for her.

"Dead?"

The word hit Max hard like a slap in the face, but she nodded slowly. No wonder Chloe was driving like a bat out of hell. His little Mazda wasn't all that fast, but he had expected that he would have had no trouble keeping up with Chloe's truck. She must have been pushing her aging vehicle to its limits, because he was having difficulty maintaining a steady pace with her. But even with all of Chloe's haste, she was probably on her way to dig up her long-lost friend's grave.

Kevin felt his heart break as images of his dream returned to haunt him. He vividly recalled how empty he had felt as he had paced around the hellish desert, clutching the corpse of a girl that looked suspiciously like Kate, but was too maimed to identify.

But that horror had just been a dream. Chloe's reality was probably about to become a nightmare. Kevin hoped that they would find nothing at all, and that Rachel's whereabouts would remain a mystery, but he doubted such vain hopes.

* * *

The rest of the drive was carried out in an uncomfortable and suffocating silence. Kevin was glad to have arrived at their destination, and he exited his vehicle quicker than normal, his mood blackened as he caught a look at Chloe's face as she disembarked from her truck.

"Come on, you two!" Chloe called over her shoulder, then she tore off into the depths of the junkyard.

"Chloe! Wait up!" Max sprinted off after her friend. Before following, Kevin reached into his car, grabbed his laptop bag, and made sure his gun was close at hand, just in case. Once he was ready, he set off after his friends with a heavy heart. He expected the worst.

Kevin followed at a much slower pace, suspecting an ambush at every turn. When he caught up, he discovered them on their knees, scratching furiously at the soft ground with their bare hands.

He looked around for something to dig with that would speed up their progress. He broke off his search when Max staggered back from the shallow hole.

"Chloe…" She had found something that had simply terrified her. Max's face was locked in a mixture of revulsion and horror. She seemed to have lost the ability to form words, her mouth moved soundlessly as she looked towards her best friend. Chloe, abandoning her own excavation, moved closer towards Max, and her face paled at the sight of its contents.

"Please, no…" Chloe's voice broke as she stared down into the shallow hole, and from the sudden vulnerability in her voice, Kevin realized that her prayers would go unanswered. Slowly approaching his friends, he hesitated a moment when he saw them both reel away, choking and gasping for air as if they had inhaled something foul.

"That smell…" Max groaned, discovering her voice once again.

Kevin quickly removed his plaid shirt, and bunched it into a ball to protect himself from the ghastly smell. Despite his quick actions, the stench of death and decay found him and nearly brought him to his knees. The overwhelming smell quickly permeated through his improvised protection, and he found himself gagging as his eyes watered.

"Rachel…" Chloe's pleading voice became high pitched and desperate as the reality of their discovery abruptly smashed her world to pieces. "Rachel, no! No, please not her!"

Max was desperately covering her face with her muddied hands to protect herself from the smell, but her eyes were solidly fixed on Chloe as she grieved.

Either the gruesome smell finally got to Chloe or her emotions finally overwhelmed her, because she scrambled away from the unearthed grave and vomited a short distance away. Chloe's desperate sobbing was interrupted as she choked up more vomit. Max rushed to her side and tried to comfort her friend, but her words went unheard and Kevin was almost certain that Chloe hardly noticed Max's tender caresses nor her embrace.

Moving closer, Kevin held his breath and peered into the shallow grave. He felt his stomach turn, and he knew he would have retched if anything remained within his stomach. Rachel's corpse had clearly been in its shallow grave for some time. The small amount of the body he could see was decomposed significantly. Chloe must have recognized the clothing that the corpse wore, because what remained of the girl wasn't very recognizable.

The sight was horrific. Kevin had desensitized himself to violence and death with action movies and violent video games, but the sight of a partially decomposed corpse was more than he could take. And then there was the smell.

Kevin tore his gaze away from the unearthed corpse and gagged as he staggered away from the hole. As he broke away, he greedily sucked in air that had yet to be contaminated by the horrific smell. Recovering from the horrendous experience, his mood turned darker as his thoughts went to Chloe. To him the cadaver was just that, a corpse, but the half-rotted corpse had once been a person to Chloe… She had known her.

For months, Chloe had been holding out on the hope that her friend had simply disappeared to someplace better, but now the truth stared right back at her from a foot below the ground.

Rachel was dead.

Chloe had finished vomiting but her tears and sobs came fiercer now, and she had turned herself completely over to Max's embrace. _At least she has Max… and… at least Kate is still alive._

Thinking of Kate at this very moment made him feel slightly guilty considering what Chloe was going through, but he couldn't help himself. Kate's safety was paramount to him, more so now thanks to his doppelganger's parting words. Not only would he be letting Kate down if something more happened to her, but he would also be letting himself down… twice.

Nathan was going to pay for this, and Kevin knew exactly who to call to facilitate his downfall.


	11. End of the World

**End of the World**

 _Come to the junkyard… and bring shovels._

Walter's initial excitement concerning the exhumation of a corpse was thoroughly crushed when they arrived at the scene. Olivia noticed how Walter's mood sunk dramatically when they discovered the state of the trio of teenagers. Chloe was in a state of shock, and would probably have been in a worse state if Max hadn't been right beside her. Max, to her credit, seemed to be taking on as much of her friends' burden as she could manage, but it was obvious that the task weighed heavily upon her.

Kevin, on the other hand, was doing his best to seem stoic. Olivia easily saw through his flimsy shield. Even if she hadn't noticed how his voice had quivered when he had called her, she saw how distressed he seemed even though he was putting an immense amount of effort into looking collected. Olivia surmised that his resolve would snap at the slightest provocation. Peter and Charlie removed two shovels from the trunk and she guessed that as Rachel's corpse was exhumed, Kevin's will would break.

She was, as usual, correct. Chloe and Max doggedly refused to watch the grim procedure, but halfway through the exhumation Kevin spied a look at the operation and evidently immediately regretted his decision. He broke. His face paled and tears that he had been holding back trickled down his face as his hands balled into tight fists.

The smell finally reached her, causing Olivia to grimace. Strangely, Walter was much closer to the exhumation but he seemed entirely unaffected. He wore a sad yet determined expression as he made certain that Peter and Charlie were excavating the body properly. Peter and Charlie, who knew exactly what they should be doing, did their best to ignore Walter's demanding protests but their progress slowed as they neared the end of their task.

"Careful! I need the body in one piece if I'm going to examine her properly once we transport her back to—"

"Whoa, hold up… this is not coming back to my house!" Charlie protested.

"Where else am I going to examine it, Agent Francis?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe this place called not my fucking house?"

"Enough!" Her voice surprised her with its harshness and caused everyone else to jump. Everyone except Chloe, who was in such a state of shock, Olivia was certain hadn't heard the interjection, much less been able to process what was going on.

Olivia needed more information before she decided what their best course of action, so she motioned for Kevin to join her and he hastened to her side, all too happy at her distraction. As he hurried to her side, he casually wiped the tears off of his face and she did her best to look as if she hadn't noticed. She would have much rather spoken with Max, but she was busy looking after Chloe and she didn't have the heart to tear the two apart at the moment.

"So, care to fill me in?" Olivia asked.

Kevin nodded, and took a few moments to compose himself as he reached her side.

"Well, I was at the lighthouse when—" Kevin stopped himself mid-sentence, and froze for a moment as he stumbled over his own words. "—Chloe and Max told me to meet them at this address." Kevin removed his phone from his pocket and brought up the aforementioned address as he tried to distract her from what he had almost said earlier. Pretending to analyze his phone, she watched Kevin closely as he relaxed when it appeared that his ploy was working.

"What happened at the lighthouse?"

Kevin did his best to cover his reaction, but he fumbled his phone and his face paled. "Nothing!" he shot out quickly.

She pressed him once more, and he caved with a heavy sigh, his posture slackened in defeat. After a few moments of hesitation, he proceeded to unload an impressively unbelievable tale on her that only grew more mysterious and troubling as it unfolded.

* * *

Kevin ended his tale and was troubled by the look of confusion contorting Olivia's face. If anyone was going to believe him about what had happened, it should be these people. But from the look on Olivia's face at the moment, he felt certain that she hadn't believed a word of it. Before he could try to convince her otherwise, she tore her phone out of her pocket, and quickly accessed something on it before shoving it into his face.

"Is this the man who stepped in, the one that said that 'you were important'?" Olivia's frantic question shocked him, and he was in such a state of bewilderment that it took him a moment to focus on the image right in front of his face.

"That's… that's him! That's the guy!"

 _Great, just great, this is getting far too weird and convenient for me… who the hell is this guy and why does Olivia have a picture of him? It looks like a picture from a security camera… What the fuck is going on?_

Olivia called out to her comrades and her unbalanced tone hastened them to her side. Before anyone could ask any questions, she flashed her phone at them and all three of them blanched at the sight of the man's image.

"Kevin was approached by an observer… this observer—"

All at once, Peter and Walter barraged him with questions and pressed him for more information. Charlie held back and remained silent, but he seemed troubled all the same.

Olivia took charge, restraining the Bishops, and after a few moments of tense silence, she turned back towards Kevin and asked him to repeat his story, word for word. She also insisted that if he had left anything out, any minor detail that seemed mundane at the time, that he should include it this time.

Exhaling deeply, Kevin shifted his stance, uncomfortable at being the center of attention, but there was no way out. He retold his story and did his best to recount the experience exactly as he remembered it.

Kevin braced himself for the inevitable questions once he was done, but none came. The uncomfortable silence engulfed him and became so overwhelming that he could barely hear Chloe's muffled cries.

Chloe's suffering brought him back to the matter at hand, and he pressed on,explaining how he had received a text message from Max and Chloe asking him to meet them at the address he had shown to Olivia. He then explained that upon arriving at the address that the trio had hurried here, and found Rachel's body. Kevin concluded that there must be solid evidence at the aforementioned location. Nodding, Charlie motioned to Olivia and then towards the vehicles.

"Let's go, Liv… Kevin, you're driving!" Charlie ordered.

"Wait… what? Why am I driving?" asked Kevin.

"We only brought one car, and we can't just leave the Bishops here without a vehicle, now can we?"

"So… does this mean I get to speed… legally?"

Smiling, Charlie nodded and Kevin flashed a wide grin as he raced towards his car. Charlie's smile vanished when he caught sight of Kevin's tiny backseat when Olivia called 'shotgun' before he could. As Charlie crawled into Kevin's rear seat with some effort, Kevin cast Max and Chloe one last look. His heart broke all over again.

Chloe was a wreck, and had become lost in misery. Max was desperately embracing her friend, doing what little she could to comfort her. Kevin wanted to say something, to catch their attention to tell them anything helpful, but he had no words to offer. Reluctantly entering his vehicle, he sighed in frustration.

He hesitated a moment before starting his vehicle and looked once more over at his friends, but Olivia's calm and almost soothing voice caught his attention.

"We can't bring Rachel back, but we can stop whoever is responsible for this. We've got our first solid lead here thanks to you guys. Let's not waste this opportunity."

"Right," Kevin responded with newfound enthusiasm as he engaged his vehicle's ignition. Pushing his Mazda to its limits in every possible way, it struggled up the dirt path and back onto the road with Charlie grumbling about the lack of space in the back seat as he was bounced around.

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to return to the run-down barn. It appeared deserted, but Olivia and Charlie were alert and on edge.

Charlie drew his gun even before scrambling out of the rear seat, and groaned excessively as he stretched away the discomfort of the cramped journey. Olivia slowly un-holstered her own firearm as she looked around. While she was surveying the scene, Kevin reached into his laptop bag and withdrew his own weapon without thinking.

"Where the hell did you get a gun from, kid?" Charlie growled quietly, but made no move to take it away from him.

"Nathan," Kevin replied flatly. He was rewarded with an approving nod from Charlie, but Olivia cast him a worried glance.

"Charlie and I are going in, and you're staying out here until we've cleared the building."

Kevin was about to argue, but he held his tongue when he noticed Olivia's fierce and commanding gaze. Not wishing to draw further ire from her, he nodded and watched them disappear around the side of the building, weapons held at the ready.

It didn't take long for Kevin to become overwhelmed with a mixture of boredom and anticipation. The golden hour was fast approaching and the scene around him was bathed in warm, golden light. As he took in the serenity of his surroundings, he realized that his mood was contrasting starkly with the area around him.

Birds sang their songs, the breeze tickled his exposed skin as it lightly blew past, and as far as the eyes could see he was surrounded by lush forest. Despite the picturesque scene, he stood fixed in one spot, his entire body rigid as his hands fiercely grasped his stolen firearm, the cold metal biting back against his warm, clenched hands.

Slowly and deliberately, he forced himself to relax and leaned against his car, letting out a calming breath through his clenched teeth. He freed his left hand from his weapon and massaged his jaw muscles to release some of the tension, but his right hand kept a determined grip on the now oddly heavy gun.

Deep and immense paranoia washed over him, and he bolted upright, weapon at the ready. His eyes narrowed, he quickly scanned his surroundings for threats, and stretched his sensitive hearing as far as he could manage. His eyes detected nothing out of the ordinary, and his ears heard nothing out of place, but he sensed, almost tasted, that something wasn't right. Never before had the feeling of being watched been so intense, but just as the sensation was at its peak, it vanished leaving him feeling oddly empty.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Olivia and Charlie hastily rounded the corner of the barn. They were both on their phones and paying him no attention at all. Calming himself down, he did his best to listen in to both of their conversations at once, and was rewarded with only bits of pieces of information.

Charlie was calling in local contacts for assistance or reinforcements, but ended his call too quickly to be sure. Olivia was talking to someone higher up the food chain than her, maybe even her own supervisor or whatever. It took a little longer for him to piece together, but it eventually became apparent that she was requesting assistance or at least reporting in what they had found. Both of the agents seemed tense and when he thought they weren't watching, he tried to sneak past them and do his own investigating, but Charlie blocked his path and shook his head.

"Nothing good to see in there."

This ominous warning only fed the fire within Kevin, and he tried to push past Charlie, but he would never get past him.

"Look kid, I'm doing you a favor alright… just let it go."

"This is about the folder with pictures of Kate, isn't it?"

Charlie's face hardened at Kevin's question, and he could only brace himself against Agent Francis's response. "So, you know? Then why the fuck would you want to go down there then, huh? It's a damned creepshow down there. If you go down there you'll regret it, you don't need to see any of that shit. So just listen to me when I tell you that I'm doing you a damned favor, and quit while you're ahead."

"Okay, okay! Jesus Christ! Okay! Lay off for fuck's sake…"

Before he and Charlie could get into it any further, Olivia hung up her phone and turned towards them. She had been so caught up with her conversation that she hadn't noticed their exchange and paid their fierce and frustrated expressions no more than a glance apiece.

"Broyles is sending more agents from the local office but they won't be here for several hours which means that your people are going to have to keep an eye on this place before they get here. Can they handle that?"

"Come on, Livvy. We're talking about a bunch of ex-marines and guys like you and me. They'll keep everything down there safe while we hunt this kid down."

"Why aren't you guys contacting the local police? What's with all the in-house bullshit? Does the FBI always work like this?" Kevin asked with mounting frustration.

"Word is that the local police are all owned by the Prescotts, and seeing as our number one suspect is Nathan fucking Prescott, we'd rather not give this kid time to skip town or something like that. We're playing it smart, kid. Leave this to the professionals and keep your head down and your mouth shut. We'll have this whole thing taken care of before you can ask another stupid question.

"Damn, dude…" Kevin mumbled. It felt as if he'd been physically slapped.

"What? Too harsh?" Charlie crossed his arms and stared down at him mockingly.

"Yeah… just a tiny bit," Kevin replied sarcastically, but also shrugging to show that there were no hard feelings.

"You'll live." Charlie smiled and ruffled Kevin's hair affectionately, as if he hadn't just chewed him out. "You two head back to the junkyard, and I'll stay until my boys get here… And tell Walter that he can take the damned body back to my house, but that he'd better get that smell out before this is all over."

Olivia shot her partner a quick nod. Kevin moved towards his car with Olivia close behind. He got behind the wheel, and realized with frustration that he hadn't parked his car right, again.

Before Olivia could finish fastening her seatbelt, he threw the car into reverse and tore down the dirt driveway. Once he reached the road he quickly turned his car around and sped off back towards the junkyard and his car's underpowered four-cylinder engine whined in protest as he allowed the revs to climb ever higher.

"Whoa! Calm down," Olivia protested.

He ignored her, continuing to increase his speed, and responded innocently. "What? Charlie said I could speed."

* * *

Kevin kept his grumblings mostly to himself as the rough dirt 'road' towards the junkyard came to an end. Chloe's truck was gone. If Chloe wasn't there, neither was Max. Dread crept through Kevin as he threw his car into park next to the lone FBI vehicle. He snatched his phone out of his pocket and searched his contacts for Max's number.

Olivia wordlessly exited the vehicle and went to join Peter and Walter, who had probably completed exhuming Rachel's body at this point. Kevin had never known Rachel Amber, but she had been mentioned from time to time by various classmates during his short time at Blackwell. The common theory was that Rachel had left Arcadia Bay for better prospects.

Chloe had probably clung to this theory, hoping that she would one day see her friend again. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter was less than forgiving. Chloe's dream was shattered. All that was left of Chloe's friend was a half-rotted corpse. Nathan had killed her. Kevin momentarily wondered if the same thing could have happened to Kate and he instantly felt ill. Logically, if Nathan had killed Kate, then Kevin would never have gotten to know how amazing she was. This did little to subdue the rage that was building inside Kevin's chest.

Max's voicemail picked up the call, so Kevin hung up and sent her a text instead. He thought about calling Chloe while he waited for a response.

 _What would I even say? Sorry your friend is dead?_

Still holding his phone, Kevin's thoughts went to Kate. He decided that he had an amazingly convenient excuse to call her and hear her voice, even if just for a moment.

Kate answered almost immediately and he was momentarily taken aback by how cheerful she sounded. Not wishing to dampen her mood, he did his best to sound casual. As he figured, she hadn't heard from Max or Chloe.

He must have done a poor job at covering his apprehension because her voice lowered in pitch as she grew concerned. Insisting that nothing was wrong, Kevin tried to redirect the conversation but Kate's voice grew hard as she once again pressed him for information. She must have realized that victory was hers as he let out a long steadying sigh because she waited patiently for him to speak.

"We… we found Rachel's body." Wanting to say more, Kevin discovered that he couldn't as the words caught in his throat. He heard Kate gasp on the other end of the line.

"Are… you okay?" Kate's concern for him was heartwarming. Kevin smiled despite the grim feelings circling him.

"I'm fine. I guess… but Chloe… that was her friend Kate. She just fell apart when we found Rachel. I don't know where she and Max went, and Max isn't answering her phone. I'm worried."

"Have you guys called the police… should you even?" asked Kate, her apprehension mounting.

"It's a long story that I don't have time to tell right now, but we've got a few FBI agents helping us out and they apparently have enough evidence to go after Nathan now."

"Good." The vehemence in her voice was readily apparent but her tone dramatically softened as she quickly composed herself. "You'll have to tell me all about it when this is all over… I'll text Max and see if she answers… I'll let you know either way, okay?"

"Thanks, Kate. You're an angel." Kevin resisted the urge to smack himself for being so cheesy, but Kate's soft giggles distracted him from his poor choice of words.

"Don't think that I'm letting you off that easy. You'd better tell me all about this adventure of yours…and please… be careful. And if you see Chloe before I have a chance to speak with Max, please tell her that…" Kate seemed at a loss for words as she struggled to finish her sentence, and Kevin immediately regretted calling her and bringing the darkness of misery back to her. Kate recovered though and her voice returned with a newfound tenacity in it. "Please tell her that my thoughts and prayers go out to her. Rachel too."

Kevin thanked her again and reassured her that he would relay her message. She surprised him though when she coyishly informed him that _he_ would be in her thoughts and prayers as well. Feeling his face turn bright red, he stammered out a lame response and after some more light teasing and reassurances that he would be careful, the call ended.

Kevin sat motionless in his car for what seemed like an eternity.

 _That was… holy shit that was… Focus, Kevin… Think!_

His thoughts were a mess, and he had to take several long calming breaths to refocus his attention to the matter at hand.

 _That was an amazing… distraction. Hopefully, she will get through to Max, but if Max doesn't answer her either—_ Kevin shook his head in frustration. Peter or Walter would know where his friends had gone, no need to worry. Grumbling to himself, Kevin climbed out of his vehicle, and rushed off to join the ongoing conversation.

"That is very interesting, Agent Dunham. Very interesting indeed… disturbing… but I think I might have a theory or two on how this young lady died." Walter paused to look down at the now empty hole where Rachel's body had been unearthed.

Her body was nowhere to be seen, thank god, but the horrible smell still lingered in the air as if the stench of death had infected everything around the grave with a ghastly vengeance.

"I examined her as best I could, considering the location, but I was able to rule out all physical trauma. And with the information that you provided me concerning the drugs that you found… I'd say she might have overdosed, or perhaps there were complications with the injection, but I won't know until I have her back at my lab… or another suitable facility."

"From the number of binders that we found, I'd say that this has been going on for a long time. Perhaps Rachel was one of the first victims…" Olivia trailed off mid-sentence, lost in thought, her eyes slowly widening.

"Olivia?" Peter stepped toward Olivia, perhaps unconsciously, because he immediately checked his movement.

"Could Nathan really have done all of this on his own? Rachel disappeared months ago, but those binders were ordered from first to last. Max and Chloe didn't disturb any of the other shelves… just the most recent ones. Whoever's lab that was had a strict sense of order and… perfectionism. If Rachel was one of the more recent abductions, then this could have been going on for a lot longer than just a few months…"

Peter nodded thoughtfully and picked up where Olivia had left off. "Nathan couldn't have done all this on his own. Even with all of his family's resources. I doubt he's capable of keeping something like this going for that long."

Kevin spoke up, surprising everyone, who were just noticing his presence.

"Nathan's far too unstable to keep something like this hidden for very long," Kevin interjected harshly, surprising the adults who'd forgotten he was there. "So what? We _know_ he was responsible for Rachel and Kate, but..."

"Someone else has been doing this a lot longer than Nathan, and Nathan will no doubt lead us to them." Olivia was interrupted by her phone and she nodded once she had checked it. "Charlie is on his way here, and Broyles has given us the go ahead for arresting Nathan. That picture of him posing with Rachel's body was pretty damning evidence."

 _He posed with Rachel's body? What sort of fucked up things did he do to Kate? Do I even want to know? I'm going to fucking kill him if he touched her…_ Walter's voice wrenched Kevin out of his thoughts.

"How barbaric…" Walter grumbled. He looked around,his face growing confused and slightly panicked. "Where have Maxine and Chloe gone?"

Peter moved to where the cars were parked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Wait… you mean you don't know where they went?" Kevin asked in disbelief as he checked his phone once more to see if Max had responded to his text. She hadn't. There was a message from Kate, however, but as he read it his hopes were dashed. Max hadn't responded to her either. A slight sense of panic was beginning to set in.

"I think we should get to Nathan before Chloe does. Something tells me that she might kill him on sight if she finds him." Peter's words brought a hard look to the surface of Kevin's face.

 _Good._

Noticing this, Peter shot Kevin a stern and reproachful look, but said nothing further all the same.

"Good idea. Peter, you and Walter head back to Charlie's with Rachel and I'll have Kevin here give me a ride to Blackwell. Once you're done dropping Walter off, head there as soon as you can."

Peter nodded to Olivia, but didn't seem all too happy that he had to chauffeur Walter back to Charlie's house before joining up with Olivia, but who else would? Kevin certainly wouldn't trust Walter behind the wheel of a car, especially since there was no telling how many drugs were in the man's system at the moment. Despite this logic, Walter was having none of it.

"I can drive myself! Peter, go with Agent Dunham. I can manage on my own!"

Peter folded his arms across his chest and stared dubiously at his father. "Do you remember how to get to Charlie's house?" Walter's determined expression vanished in an instant and he mumbled something about maybe needing directions. "Walter… it's fine. I'll drive you back to Charlie's house. I'm sure Charlie and Olivia can handle a teenager."

"Yes… of course. No doubt." Walter relented, but a cloud of doubt still plagued his furrowed brow. He didn't offer any further objections as Peter shepherded him towards the black FBI sedan. Kevin shook his head and jumped into his car as Olivia sat down next to him in his passenger seat.

"And besides… I'm sure Peter wouldn't like riding in your back seat any more than Charlie did. Especially with the way _you_ drive." Olivia turned towards Kevin and smiled playfully at him, an actual real smile that didn't seem forced or awkward in any way, to show that she was just teasing him. "I'm certainly not getting back there."

Smiling himself, Kevin started his vehicle and threw it into gear as he sped off towards Blackwell Academy.

* * *

Despite the darkness, it didn't take long for Kevin to identify Chloe's truck, being the largest and worst maintained vehicle in the Blackwell parking lot. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Kevin pulled up next to it and parked his car. As he got out of his vehicle, faint traces of music tickled his ears. Quickly scanning the area, he noticed more students outside than there should have been at this hour. Worse yet, most of them were carrying those plastic red party cups.

Olivia's mind, working quicker than his, as usual, helped him identify the obvious. "Is there a big party scheduled for tonight?"

Kevin resisted the urge to smack himself in the face, but only just barely.

"Yeah, there's some stupid 'End of the World' party or some pretentious shit like that going on… I guess it's tonight… I mean it would seem obvious that it _is_ tonight with the obnoxiously loud music. The drunk kids wandering around freely not being bothered by security—"

"So, let me get this straight… You're a kid in a fancy school that allows parties of this caliber and you had no idea it was tonight?" Olivia seemed stunned and she probably should be, he was pretty surprised himself.

"Well… yeah. It's not like I'd actually go to such a thing… when I'm not out solving murder mysteries, dealing with time traveling teenagers and digging up dead bodies, I'm usually locked in my room playing computer games." Kevin shrugged as if there was nothing abnormal about his behavior, but something about what he had said had clearly amused Olivia. A sly smile crept its way across her face.

"What if Kate had gone to said pretentious party? Would you still be locked away in your room then?"

"Well played, Agent Dunham. Well played." Kevin looked glumly towards the pool building, a separate building on the Blackwell campus that was entirely devoted towards Blackwell's swimming team, and came to a sudden realization. It seemed to be the epicenter of the festivities. "I'm guessing that I have to go in there now, eh?"

"Yup. Go in there and look for Nathan while I stay here and wait for Charlie. If you find him, let me know immediately. Don't play the hero… and if Max and Chloe are in there… please try to convince them from doing anything equally foolish."

"Shouldn't be too hard with Max. But Chloe…" Kevin trailed off as his thoughts went back to Rachel.

"Chloe is a good kid… I'd hate to see her end up on the wrong side of this whole thing." Olivia clearly meant what she said, her face was dark and grim.

If Chloe gunned down Nathan, then there was nothing that could be done for her. Kevin simply nodded soberly and knew that the same applied to him. His eyes fell guiltily onto his laptop bag, but more specifically to where Nathan's firearm was secreted inside. Olivia awkwardly cleared her throat and slowly moved towards his side of the vehicle.

"You should leave that here. I don't think you need it anymore."

Tensing at her words, Kevin sighed to himself and forced himself to relax. She was right after all, it was best that he not have the gun. It was good evidence. As if reading his mind, she wondered aloud if Nathan's prints were still on the gun somewhere.

Kevin shrugged and then steeled himself for what was probably going to be a painful experience. He hated crowds and enclosed spaces filled with people, but he had a job to do. With luck, Max and Chloe would be inside looking for Nathan as well. Exhaling slowly as he approached the pool building, he did his best to ignore the creeping anxieties he felt sneaking into his chest.

* * *

Kevin's worst fears were realized when he entered the party—the music was loud, his classmates were drunk, and many of them were wearing far too few clothes due to the 'pool party' atmosphere.

 _Still though… it could certainly be worse._

Kevin's wandering gaze trailed a scantily clad girl as she pushed past, giving him an appraising look. Having failed to meet her standards, she turned away from him dismissively and went out in search of more suitable prospects.

 _Good, I don't need such distractions right now._

Kevin's thoughts clashed with the pang of disappointment rising within his chest; he had failed to capture her interest. Shaking his head and clearing his mind of his troublesome thoughts, he focused on the matter at hand and scanned the area thoroughly for the girls he _was_ looking for..

He recognized several of his classmates and even spotted a few people that he hadn't expected to see. Daniel and Alyssa were both present. Daniel caught his attention and waved him over. Kevin made his way through the crowd of partygoers and resisted the urge to push people out of his way.

The massive room had been split into two sections. The side that he was on that took up most of the space and seemed to be populated mostly by an eclectic variety of the school's population. On the other side of the pool behind the stage, of course there was a stage, an area had been blocked off to the general public and seemed to even have 'bouncers' guarding the entrance on the far side of the pool.

These bouncers were probably lower ranked members of the football team, judging from their meaty and thuggish demeanor. This VIP section was probably where most of the members of the illustrious Vortex club had sequestered themselves and where most, if not all, of the booze was stashed away. As he continued to maneuver his way through the crowd towards Daniel, he did his best to keep his eyes peeled for Nathan and his friends. Perhaps Daniel had seen something? It was certainly worth asking.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Daniel!" Kevin called out in greeting. Daniel put a hand up to his ear, so Kevin moved closer and repeated himself. The music had switched away from 'dance' music to something that had an almost techno vibe to it, which was certainly a step up, but Kevin still wished it wasn't quite so loud.

"I didn't expect to see you here either! But I suppose I should have since you seem to get along with everyone…" Daniel smiled sheepishly back at him as if in lieu of an apology, but Kevin waved it off.

"Not everyone… What made you decide to come out tonight?"

Daniel looked at his feet uncomfortably for a moment as he hesitated, but when his gaze met Kevin's again, it held an almost fierce determination.

 _Good for you,Daniel._

"Max convinced me. She's a good friend." His voice was steady, his tone deliberate. Max and her time powers had done some good at least.

"Speaking of our good friend Max, have you seen her tonight?"

Daniel nodded, smiling eagerly. "Yes! I was surprised to see her too,honestly—" Daniel trailed off as he remember something, causing his smile to fade. "She seemed… distracted and really intense. Do you think Nathan did something to her?"

"Nathan?" Instead of reasoning his way through Daniel's words, Kevin succumbed to his lesser instincts and felt his rage begin to take over. "What did Nathan do to Max?"

Daniel noted his reaction and held up his hands defensively. "I don't know, but Max asked about him and she was certainly looking for him… I've never seen her look like that. She's always so calm and innocent… I just assumed..."

Forcing himself to relax, Kevin saw Daniel's logic and couldn't fault him for it since it was actually quite close to the truth. Nathan hadn't directly done something to Max, but he had taken something special away from Chloe. Which due to the still tentatively blossoming relationship between Max and Chloe, his actions had harmed Max.

"You wouldn't have seen Nathan tonight, eh Daniel?" Obviously noticing the intensity in Kevin's demeanor, Daniel quickly shook his head and looked around nervously. "Let me know if you do, okay bud? Also, did you happen to see where Max went? I need to talk to her about something."

Daniel nodded at first then hastily shook his head and shrugged to signify that he hadn't seen where Max had gone.

"I think she might have left I don't know… you could talk to Alyssa. I saw Max talking to her not too long ago."

Kevin thanked him for the suggestion and after a few more words with Daniel, he turned away and dove back into the chaos to make his way over to Alyssa. She had barely moved from the spot that Daniel had signified.

Alyssa was on her phone, probably reading, which perhaps wasn't the best activity for standing right next to the edge of the pool. Alyssa was a shy girl and was almost always reading something, and rarely interacted with many other people.

She was heavy-set and had chosen to dye her dark hair bright purple at some point before he had met her. They talked on occasion, but only ever about books that they had read or books that the other should read. Kevin called out to her and she barely looked up from her phone as he approached, but made a subtle nod to show that she had heard him.

"Hey Kevin…" Alyssa mumbled without looking up, her voice barely audible above the obnoxiously loud music.

"Have you seen Max?" Kevin asked, practically shouting to be heard.

"No... I'm not done reading that book you loaned me. Honestly I haven't even started it yet."

Kevin paused before repeating himself as he moved slightly closer because he couldn't really remember what book he had loaned her… he had a bad habit of loaning things out and forgetting about them. "Which book did I loan you again?"

Alyssa seemed to pause in her reading for a moment before answering, as if searching her memory for the answer. "The Witcher or something? You were really insistent that I read it. Sorry I haven't gotten to it yet… You know how it is."

 _That's right! I need to write down who I loan things to… unless I did that already and forgot about the list… that sounds like me._

"Gotcha… Have you seen Max tonight?"

This time Alyssa did look up from her phone and her face lit up at the mention of Max's name.

"Yeah! She totally saved me from getting knocked into the pool earlier. She's like my guardian angel this week. She's super awesome!"

Kevin nodded along, only half listening as he waited for her to stop gushing so he could get his next question in.

"Yeah, cool… did you see where she went?" She nodded and pointed towards the VIP section. "Wait… really?"

"Yeah, totally surprised me, too. They wouldn't let her in at first, but she talked to Courtney and she got in without a problem. Courtney even chewed out the girl over there about it."

 _Interesting… maybe I should talk to Courtney too… Of course it makes sense that Max would go back there if she's looking for Nathan… but so far no one's mentioned Chloe._

"Did Max have anyone with her?"

Alyssa made a face at him that he couldn't quite decipher so he chose not to react to it. "Jealous much? No. Your girl Max didn't have anyone with her… but she was looking for Nathan for some reason. Just a heads up. She even told me to keep an eye out for him."

"And have you seen him?" Kevin asked hopefully.

"Who? Nathan, no."

Kevin shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Alyssa cast a hard stare his way before going back to her phone. Kevin did his best to change the subject as he looked around for Courtney. "Hey, Alyssa, perhaps you should find a better spot to chill. You don't want to end up in the pool and make Max's heroic efforts a waste."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll move… but listen, you don't have to get all grouchy over Nathan. Max didn't look like she was looking for him for anything good, she seemed pretty… intense. Wait, are you two fighting? Is that why she's looking for Nathan, to get back at you?"

Kevin sighed loudly and shook his head as he took a calming breath that tasted of chlorine and sweat. "No. It's not like your chick-lit books, Alyssa. Calm down, no drama here."

Alyssa's smile returned and she nodded in satisfaction. "Good, because you two are cute together."

The conversation apparently over, Kevin did his best to suppress another sigh as he walked away. However, Alyssa had given him an idea that should get him instant access into the VIP section if he played his cards right. If the rumors concerning him and Max were _that_ widespread, he might as well take advantage of them.

Having found Courtney, he made his way through the crowd towards where she sat at the makeshift bar in the corner of the room. It immediately struck him as odd that she was drinking alone out here with the rest of the rabble and not inside the VIP section. After a quick, awkward huddle with himself, Kevin decided to amend his opening words somewhat.

Kevin threw himself into the seat next to Courtney and motioned towards her drink and nodded towards the 'bartender', another football type, and firmly stated that he would have whatever she was having. The only drinks that he could see were non-alcoholic, and from the way Courtney was nursing her beverage, it certainly contained something more than just soda.

The kid behind the 'bar' gave Courtney a quick look but she waved him off and nodded, signaling that Kevin was entitled to the 'good stuff'. His drink was quickly and discreetly filled outside of his line of sight and the kid offered him the drink with a curt nod. Returning the nod, Kevin drained the contents of his plastic cup in one quick motion and immediately regretted his decision. Of course Courtney was drinking something super sugary with vodka. He should have known.

Kevin did his best to hide his reaction to the beverage, but he was certain that he had been entirely unsuccessful as the 'bartender' cracked a smile and Courtney giggled slightly. Playing off their reactions, he pushed his now empty cup away from him.

"More vodka this time and less of that sugary stuff, eh bud?"

The 'bartender' nodded and smiled. Courtney giggled once more and cast him an almost affectionate look, almost. Once his drink had been remade, he accepted it and held it up nodding towards Courtney and she accepted the toast.

"So… drinking by yourself at a party. I have to say Courtney, I am surprised. Something on your mind?"

Sighing heavily, she took a long hefty swig of her own drink and, judging from the way she grimaced, her drink was still much stronger than his own. "Just… bullshit… thanks for asking though. I take it that you're feeling better? I haven't seen you around that much lately."

"Yeah, I've been _really_ busy lately... but yes, I am feeling much better, thanks for asking." Their conversation was quickly heading into the direction of small talk, so he changed gears before the situation could deteriorate further. "Have you seen Max tonight? She said she was here..." He made a motion of looking around the room once more as if he was checking to see if he could spot her, playing the part of the nervous boyfriend.

"Oh my god! You're so adorable… Max is in the VIP section, stop worrying! Here follow me, I need to make sure this biatch at the door doesn't give you any trouble."

Kevin downed his drink and sprang to his feet. He tossed the empty cup back at the 'bartender,' who shot him a quick glare, causing Courtney to giggle once again.

It was far too easy to fit in with the 'popular' crowd, all you had to do was treat the upper echelon well enough and anyone beneath them like a second-class citizen. It was almost as hard to stomach as the cheap vodka that he had just swallowed, but it usually helped to blend in with the people you were buttering up.

As they approached the entrance to the VIP section, the 'bouncer' moved aside and the blonde girl behind the makeshift desk withered under Courtney's hard gaze. He turned to say his goodbyes to Courtney and thanked her for her help as he ducked underneath the curtain. She waved him off and laughed when he collided into Max and immediately caught an irritated glare from Chloe until it became clear that no harm had been done.

"Sorry about that! But I guess I found you guys, finally. Have you seen Nathan?"

Chloe folded her arms across her chest and glared at him suspiciously as Max recovered from nearly being knocked off of her feet.

"Why?" Chloe demanded. Kevin raised his hands defensively in protest.

"Relax. Olivia told me to look for him in here, alright? But nobody's seen him tonight, it seems."

"Why does she care where he is?" Chloe's face had gone hard, a fire burning brightly behind her eyes. Kevin chose his next words very carefully.

"The FBI guys apparently have enough evidence to arrest him, or whatever. They just need to find him first. I'm guessing you have other plans with Nathan?"

Chloe nodded grimly. Kevin became absolutely certain that her stolen revolver was tucked away somewhere on her, locked and loaded. Swallowing hard, he glanced at Max. Her expression mimicked Chloe's perhaps too well. Kevin would receive no help from Max in talking Chloe down, none at all.

"Well, since he's not here… I think I'll text Olivia. Maybe they will find him at his dad's place… or something," said Kevin.

"You do that. Come on, Max. Let's go see if he's hiding in his dorm like a little bitch." Clearly done with conversation, Chloe pushed past him and Max quickly moved to follow, although with more care than her partner.

Kevin quickly shot Olivia a text that there was no sign of Nathan. Olivia responded instantly. Her message read like a direct order. So direct, in fact, that Kevin could almost picture himself as a rookie agent.

 _Affirmative. En route to Prescott residence to regroup with the rest of the task-force. Keep your eyes open and report in immediately should you see him. Keep you posted._

Kevin hoped that Nathan was nowhere on campus. If it came down to it, he was certain that he wouldn't be able to stop Chloe from blowing his brains out. Kevin certainly wanted to do the same himself.

As he quickened his pace to follow Max and Chloe towards the door, the music suddenly cut out and a familiar voice was beckoning for everyone to quiet down. Kevin's ears rang briefly from the sudden change of stimuli.

Ahead of him, Max brought Chloe to a stop as Mr. Jefferson took the stage to announce the winner of the 'Everyday Heroes' contest. Kevin found himself stopping as well, almost immediately invested in the results, just like Max. Several of his peers took the time to wish him luck. Kevin thanked them, despite being unfamiliar with more than half of them. Nearby, Max seemed just as apprehensive about the results and she nodded towards him, wishing him luck. Kevin returned the gesture.

"And the winner is… Max Caulfield!"

 _FUCKING SHIT! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!_

Kevin surprised himself with how invested he had suddenly become in winning something he felt that he hadn't cared all that much about. Suddenly, Max was beside him and he was congratulating her and she was apologizing to him.

She had tears in her eyes.

Chloe shoved her way into the fray as people all around them cheered while a few booed. Kevin was almost certain that he heard Victoria scream in rage somewhere from backstage, or had that just been his imagination?

Max threw her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. "You should have won… your picture was way better than mine!"

Even though Kevin greatly appreciated Max's words, he found himself conflicted. _His_ picture was really awesome, perhaps the best he had ever taken in his short photography career. However, _her_ picture had Kate in it. Better yet, Kate was safe in his arms.

"I just make a better model than you, that's all," Kevin teased her and she smiled back. She broke away from him and turned towards Chloe, who was smiling at Max despite everything. Chloe pulled Max towards her, the pair embraced, and Kevin grumbled about not having his camera on hand but quickly remembered his phone.

Luckily for him, they kept their pose more or less the same as they spoke softly to one another. People continued to cheer and Mr. Jefferson was doing his best to quiet everyone down so he could be heard again. Kevin snapped a few pictures with his phone while grumbling about the lack of light. He was constantly being jostled by his peers, who were much closer to him than he would have liked. That didn't help either.

"Quiet down!" Mr. Jefferson was doing everything he could to make himself heard. "Max! I know you're here. Come on up here!"

Max went stiff in Chloe's arms and turned towards the door. Kevin couldn't help but smile. Max was now expected to give a speech and she had immediately thought of running for the hills rather than take center stage.

 _Thank goodness I didn't win. I'd hate to go up there!_

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, when Max turned towards him with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Come up there with me… please…" Max's tiny voice barely reached his ears.

"Whoa there, stop being a sore winner. You won! You get to make a speech in front of all of your peers and I, the graciously defeated, get to watch," said Kevin.

Chloe glared a thousand 'fuck yous' at him, but it was the sight of Max's pouting face that made him change his mind.

"Oh for fuck's sake! Fine! I'll go up with you…"

Some of the dread on Max's freckled face faded, but far from all of it. Kevin frowned as he looked around for the best possible way to make it through the crowd to get to the stage.

Chloe's voice rang clear and true over the excitement. "Make a hole! Max Caulfield coming through!"

And just like, that the crowd shuffled aside and the way was clear. The trio made quick progress towards the stage with Kevin leading the way. In a matter of moments, they arrived at the stairs that ascended the stage. Max shook her head and said that she needed a minute, and Chloe, smiling, did her best to comfort her friend despite the stares from the occupants of the VIP section.

Not wanting to rush Max, but not wanting to stand around either, Kevin bounded up the stairs, walked out onto the stage, and snatched the microphone from his confused looking teacher. A quick cheer erupted but immediately died off when everyone realized that he was not who they had expected.

"Ladies and gentleman! I'm sorry but I'm not Max Caulfield…"

Several laughs snuck out of the crowd, but mostly everyone remained quiet. A few of his peers even shouted back at him. His personal favorite, however, was the perhaps the most obvious.

"Yeah… no shit!" This remark drew a significantly larger amount of laughter than Kevin's own attempt at a joke, so he went along with it.

"This guy is on it ladies and gentlemen… Let's have a round of applause for… that guy right over there! The dude with the… uh… hat." Several more laughs and a scattered applause broke out and the now startled looking offender bowed awkwardly as his peers closest to him jostled him in mock congratulation. "How about this though? We all know Max. And we all know that she can be a little… shy at times. So let's give her one last round of applause, and let's see if we can get her on stage, eh?"

Nothing happened.

Kevin plotted his escape.

All at once, his peers erupted in applause, several even began chanting Max's name. Immediately pleased and surprised with the results that he'd engineered, Kevin turned to look at Mr. Jefferson and noticed an approving look on his instructor's face followed by an equally approving nod. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd and Kevin turned around and saw exactly what he had expected to see: Max had taken the stage.

The rest of the crowd probably couldn't see it, but her face was bright red with embarrassment. This was either a result of the crowd's enthusiasm or, perhaps, and probably more likely, something that Chloe had done to get her courage up.

 _Chloe totally just kissed her in front of everyone backstage… five bucks says she did._

Kevin held the mic in his open palms, bowing slightly as he handed it over to Max. She accepted it, holding it loosely like she couldn't wait to drop it and escape the stage. Max turned to face her peers and the crowd immediately went silent.

"So… I _am_ Max Caulfield…" Max smoothly played off his somewhat unsuccessful joke earlier and was rewarded with at least twice the number of laughs for it. "And I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and encouragement for me to succeed… but I asked Kevin to come up here with me because he inspired me in the way that he is always looking out for everyone that he could. He's just like us, and he doesn't get along with everyone, but he tries to not let it show and does his best to help everyone he can and I think that's what this whole contest is really about. I may have taken the picture… but that's all I did… if he hadn't been doing what he thought was right, I wouldn't have had a picture to take. I may have been the one who talked Kate down from jumping, but Kevin was right there with me even though he could barely stand… He's the true 'everyday hero' and I think we all need to look inside of ourselves and strive to be kinder and more considerate to one another. When Kate comes back to us, I want her to feel like she belongs here and that she belongs with us."

An awkward silence filled the area and Max, looking extremely uncomfortable again, shoved the microphone back to Mr. Jefferson and disappeared. A dumbfounded Mr. Jefferson addressed the crowd and politely asked for one last round of applause for Max. A half-hearted response slowly came to fruition, and Kevin made his exit. He found Max in Chloe's arms looking panicked and uneasy, speaking quickly and desperately to her friend.

"I want to leave… but not out the front. Not by everyone. Please! Can we just go?" Max pleaded.

Chloe held Max close and stared defiantly back at the gawking onlookers. Not a soul could hold her challenging gaze. Kevin was still approaching when he noticed that Victoria had broken away from the small crowd to approach Max and Chloe.

 _This can't be good._

"Max?" Victoria called out, becoming an immediate target for Chloe's wrath. Chloe's fierce gaze locked onto Victoria as she drew nearer. Victoria hesitated as Chloe's arms stiffened around Max's shaking form.

"You can leave through the girls' locker room. The door is locked, but I can open it for you. That way you'll just have to deal with me instead of everyone else. That's a little better, right?"

Max nodded. Victoria led the way towards the locker room, and Max untangled herself from Chloe to follow. Chloe was close behind her, and motioned for Kevin to join them. Slowly exhaling a breath he hadn't realized that had been holding, Kevin trailed the girls into the locker room

Their progress through the girl's locker room was quick, and Kevin felt somewhat awkward and did his best not to look around in case he might see something that he shouldn't. As they approached the exit, Victoria unlocked the door and turned to face Max, her face somber and her posture stiff.

Noticing that she was probably trying to convince herself to say something extremely difficult, Kevin lightly held out his hand to stop Chloe from advancing any further. Chloe's presence would probably ruin the moment. Chloe blanched and glared at him. but when their eyes met she rolled hers and made a face at him that clearly said: _Fine… whatever…_

"Max… that was… a good speech. That must have been difficult… and I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for being a colossal bitch all the time," Victoria broke off and her voice shook for a moment.

Kevin's mouth dropped open when he realized that Victoria fucking Chase was in imminent danger of shedding a tear in front of him. Max noticed this too and took a few tentative steps towards Victoria as the short haired girl struggled with her words.

"It's just… how I deal with shit… you know?" Victoria was almost shaking at this point, and even in the low light he could spot the tears trickling down her face.

"I know…" Max's words were cut off when the inevitable happened and Victoria's resolve completely failed. She fought the tears at first, choking back the embarrassment. Max rushed forward and embraced Victoria. Caught completely off-guard, Victoria's stiff defenses shattered and she wrapped her arms around Max, crying into the smaller girl's shoulder.

Kevin spun around and made sure that he and Chloe were the only witnesses. His hasty movements caught Chloe's attention. The odd pair looked at one another for a moment, both completely at a loss.

Kevin held out his arms, welcoming Chloe to hug him. He was instantly rewarded with a venomous look from Chloe that clearly stated 'Don't fucking touch me'. Abandoning the maneuver, Kevin shrugged off the entirely expected result. Turning his attention back to Max and Victoria, he noted that Victoria had already regained control of her emotions. She and Max talked quietly and he did his best not to listen in.

"I'm… sorry." Victoria slowly and awkwardly pulled herself away from Max's embrace, but lingered close to her as if afraid to back away.

"It's okay." Max must have said more because Victoria nodded as she slowly wiped tears away from her face.

"Like you said before… we don't have to be enemies. And I'll think about what you said… about Nathan." Max yanked Victoria into one more squeeze of a hug before releasing her. Kevin watched with rapt fascination as Victoria whipped out a makeup bag and dealt with the aftermath of her grief. She dabbed up the tears with a tissue and made efficient use of the bag's mysterious contents.

"How do I look?" The drama-queen of Blackwell was back.

"Like a total bitch," Chloe responded, though not harshly.

Victoria winked and blew her a kiss as she walked back towards the party, her steps full of sass and purpose. "I better get back before people start talking shit about me… Wouldn't want people thinking I've gone soft, now would I?"

Chloe snorted and fired back, "That... will never happen. But don't worry yourself. They're all probably still talking about how I smacked Max's bony ass so hard I sent her flying on stage." Chloe turned to wink at Max, who was glaring right back at her.

"That actually hurt, you know! I can't believe you did that. In front of everyone!" Max's face blazed such a bright red, it was easily noticeable despite the lack of light.

"Aww poor Max, want me to kiss it better?" Chloe stalked towards Max as if she intended to do just that, despite the fact that both Kevin and Victoria were still present.

"Speaking of kissing... I thought Max came on to the stage the way she did because you had kissed her. I didn't think she would turn bright red like that from just a little smack to the butt," said Kevin. Chloe turned around, wearing her infamous shit-eating grin, her eyes shining mischievously.

"Oh, I kissed her too. Don't you worry, Victoria, I heard you swoon like a jealous little girl too… Don't try to deny it! I know you want some of this," said Chloe, waving her hands down her body in demonstration.

Victoria scoffed, but as she turned away to leave, Kevin saw her face redden. "Whatever, I'm heading back before you guys make me sick… Later, nerds."

And with that, Victoria was gone and Kevin was left alone with a hungry looking Chloe and a startled looking Max. Kevin coughed awkwardly and motioned towards the door.

"I can go—"

Chloe cut him off, scoffing. "Calm down, _everyday hero,_ I'm not going to jump her bones here… Sheesh, I have more class than that."

"Oh really? Where would you take me to? A junkyard or perhaps somewhere equally romantic?" Max giggled as she taunted Chloe, and Kevin couldn't help but smile at how adorable they were.

"Bite me… Now let's get back to bidness'! I wonder if Nathan's hiding his punkass in his room. We should go check it," said Chloe, and Max answered with a grim nod.

The moment was officially over. No more smiles, no more laughs, and certainly no more tears.

None for Nathan at any rate.

Kevin stepped towards his two friends and cleared his throat. The time was as good as any to pass on Olivia's grave warning.

"Chloe… I'm not going to stop you—"

"Good," Chloe cut him off flatly, glaring at him sharply

"But think about this for a second. It would be murder, and if Olivia finds out… there will be consequences. Is vengeance really worth all that?"

"This isn't about revenge! This is about justice! Either fall in line or get out of my way!"

"I'm not standing in your way, Chloe. Just think about it for a second, please. If you do what you are set on doing, and those FBI guys find out… You know what they are going to have to do. I think you know what that means."

Chloe continued to glare back at him fiercely, but her expression softened when she turned to look at Max, almost sadly.

 _So… she does understand. If they arrest her for murdering Nathan, then they will take her away from Max… Is that worth your justice, Chloe? Is it worth losing Max?_

Chloe sighed in frustration, her aggressive posture deflating with the exhalation. She turned back to face Kevin. "Alright. What do _you_ suggest we do?" Chloe folded her arms across her chest, but her eyes held a glimmer of hope in them, as if she wanted Kevin to tell her what she should do.

"Let's go look for Nathan. If we find him, we call Olivia and wait for the FBI dudes. Look, I want to take him down as much as you do… but Kate would… she probably wouldn't forgive me for it, you know?"

"Yeah... I know." Chloe looked at Max once more, and Max moved in and hugged her friend, wordlessly expressing her feelings in an instant.

"Also… you should give me that gun—"

Chloe's reaction was swift and immediate. Her face lit up in anger and her words exploded out of her mouth. "I already agreed to not killing him on sight! If you think I'm handing over this gun to you, just like that, then you are out of your goddamn mind."

Raising his hands in surrender, Kevin did his best not to wither under her assault.

"So, we're agreed then?" Kevin asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I keep my gun, and we call Olivia when we find him, _after_ we beat the living shit out of him."

"But we keep him _alive_." He stated his words firmly and carefully.

Chloe waved him off, as if his concerns were unfounded. "Yeah, yeah we keep him alive."

"Alright, let's go then! What are we waiting for?" Clapping his hands together, Kevin hastened for the exit.

The previous conversation had infected the room with tension, and Kevin couldn't wait to be free of it. As the trio exited the pool building, they were surprised to see Mr. Jefferson waiting for them, leaning casually against one of the many trees that littered the campus.

Kevin groaned.

"I was hoping to catch you before you left for the night, Max. That was really quite the speech… though I should expect nothing less from my best student. No offense, Kevin," Jefferson awkwardly added the last bit, as if he was just noticing Kevin for the first time.

 _Fuck you too, Mr. Jefferson._

Shrugging, Kevin found his own tree to lean against as Mr. Jefferson pushed himself away from his perch and slowly approached Max and Chloe. Max stammered out a nervous response as her teacher approached. Chloe's stance shifted to a defensive one, and she reflexively threw an arm around Max, pulling her friend closer. Jefferson ignored this and kept his attention solely on Max as he continued speaking.

"Max, I hate to be a bother, especially tonight, but there are a few things we should discuss about the upcoming trip to San Francisco. It should only take a few minutes." Max turned to Chloe for approval, who rolled her eyes in response.

Chloe turned to Kevin, making it clear once again that he had cemented himself into the position as the groups' impromptu leader. Kevin shrugged. Losing Max for a few minutes wouldn't be a big deal. He and Chloe would have no problem looking for Nathan on their own. Chloe assented to Max's unspoken request, and after a few quick words, Chloe and Kevin were watching Max and Mr. Jefferson walk towards the main building. They disappeared inside.

"I hate watching her go like that. Something just feels wrong about it," Chloe's voice trailed off as she plunged deep into thought.

Kevin teased her by outstretching his arms, once more offering her a hug. He received a second venomous glare, and Chloe marched off towards the dorms.

"Come on. Let's go find Nathan's bitch-ass."

Kevin hurried to follow and kept his own concerns to himself. He couldn't quite place the dark and ominous feelings that were lurking deep within his chest, so he pushed them away and focused on the hunt.

* * *

The dorms were dark, quiet, and empty.

Using their phones for light, Kevin and Chloe moved like ghosts through the halls until they reached Nathan's room. It was as dark and quiet as the rest of the building and, to their surprise, the door was unlocked. The pair crept inside and discovered it empty.

The initial search failed to reveal anything of note, but Chloe soon found something that captured her interest. Reaching inside one of his drawers, she quickly produced an identical looking handgun to the one that Kevin had relieved from Nathan's possession earlier that day.

"He got a new one fast…" Kevin mumbled as he accepted the offered firearm from Chloe. A quick inspection of the weapon revealed that it was loaded. Shaking his head, Kevin flipped the safety to the 'on' position.

 _What a fucking moron… perhaps I should just leave this here and he'll accidentally blow his own brains out._

As Kevin tucked the pistol into his belt at the small of his back, he noticed that Chloe was still staring down into the drawer. The flickering light from her phone caught his attention as the hand holding it shook. Before Kevin could ask what was wrong, she slowly reached into the drawer and withdrew a photograph.

A glimpse of the picture was all Kevin needed to see why it distressed her so much; the picture was of her. At some point in the past, Nathan had the opportunity to photograph Chloe while she was passed out… or, more likely, drugged. In the picture, Chloe was on the floor, eyes open lazily and mostly in the fetal position, her face blank, her entire body limp.

"That… fucking bastard," Chloe growled through clenched teeth.

Without thinking, Kevin placed his free hand on Chloe's shoulder, seeking to comfort her. Reacting to his touch immediately, Chloe spun around and lashed out at him, punching him in his face.

Staggered from the sudden blow, Kevin barely saw the second strike coming. Side-stepping, Kevin managed to grasp a firm hold of Chloe's striking arm. The pair grappled and struggled in the dark for a few tense moments. Just as he was overpowering her, Chloe struck at his groin with a knee-strike. Kevin barely managed to deflect the strike to his thigh in time. Staggered from the strike, Kevin missed Chloe's next attack entirely.

A brutal head-butt from Chloe struck home, her hot breath assaulting him just as fiercely.

The blow struck him hard on the left side of his face and he recoiled in pain, staggering once again. Kevin regained his footing and prepared himself for a follow up attack, but none came. Finding it difficult to see, he located the nearby light switch, hastily flipping it on.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden light, but he located Chloe on the other side of the room in short order. She was no longer hostile. Her firsts were still balled in rage and she was glaring furiously at him, but tears were streaming down her face. Chloe's shoulders were slackened in defeat even though she had won their skirmish.

"Don't fucking touch me." Her words came out slowly and were interrupted by her labored and shaky breaths as she fought back her tears.

Unable to form any words, Kevin simply nodded as he rubbed his cheek where her blows had landed. The flesh was sore and tender to the touch, and his thigh ached where her bony knee had struck it. Frustrated with his own stupidity, Kevin searched around for his phone that he had dropped during the struggle.

Chloe sank down onto Nathan's bed and retrieved her own phone from the floor. Kevin found his a few moments later and, luckily, it didn't seem to be damaged. As Kevin struggled to his feet after retrieving his phone, the pain in his thigh intensified. Doing his best to not let on how much he was hurting, he turned away from Chloe.

Luckily, she was ignoring him anyway.

Kevin came face to face with one of Max's selfies as he completed the maneuver. Blinking in confusion, he peeled the polaroid photograph off the wall and called out to Chloe, tossing the picture towards her. He _definitely_ wasn't going anywhere near her.

"Looks like he got into Max's room at some point. I doubt she gave him that." Kevin grumbled.

Chloe tucked the photograph away. She remained on Nathan's bed, stewing in a mixture of rage and sadness. Kevin motioned towards the door as he moved, doing his best to hide his limp. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Chloe demanded, but stood despite her aggressive tone. Tears were still freely streaming down her face, but she was adamantly refusing to acknowledge their existence.

"We might as well search the rest of the dorms to see if he's around or if anyone has seen him… Hell, he might be in Victoria's room. They are best buds, aren't they?"

Chloe shrugged as if she didn't care, but followed his lead. It didn't take them long to figure out that the boys' dorms were deserted, but Kevin had expected this. He was heading purposely towards his own room. Quickly unlocking his door, he motioned for Chloe to follow as he went inside. Chloe propped herself up against the doorframe and peered inside as she inspected his room dismissively.

"What are we doing _here_?" she asked scornfully as he ducked underneath his bed and reached inside his mini-fridge. Her sour expression softened when he emerged with two of his beers in hand and tossed one over to her. Nodding in thanks, she popped off the bottle cap and downed a significant portion of the beverage while Kevin was still reaching for his lighter to remove his own cap. Once he had deftly opened his own beverage, he took a modest swig and brought the ice-cold bottle to his still sore cheek and sighed contently as the cold began to numb the pain away.

"I'm sorry… by the way. Just don't expect to hug it out or anything." Chloe's words still held a certain amount of harshness to them, but they surprised him. He hadn't expected her to apologize at all.

"Noted… now, let's go take a gander at Victoria's room then, eh?"

Nodding, Chloe drained the rest of her beverage with a second swig and tossed the bottle into his nearby trash can. Kevin took several moments to finish his own beverage as Chloe waited impatiently for him, eyes full of judgement.

"Pussy," Chloe's judgement eventually took the form of a single word, but her light tone and her barely perceivable playful smile revealed she was simply teasing him.

"Fuck you," responding equally playfully, Kevin tossed his own bottle into his trash as he followed her out of his room. The pair made their way through the dark and empty halls once more. Chloe finally acknowledged her tears from earlier as she furiously wiped her face clean.

Unfortunately for them, their search was in vain as the girls' dorms were just as empty as their male counterparts had been. Victoria's room was just as deserted as Nathan's had been. As they exited Victoria's room empty handed, Chloe removed her phone from her pocket and quickly typed out a text.

"I guess we could go back to the party and see if he's there… or something? Maybe check the parking lot for his truck or… What's wrong?" Kevin broke off mid-sentence at the look on Chloe's face. She was staring hopelessly at her phone. She hadn't heard a single word that he had said.

"I've been texting Max for like… the past fifteen minutes and she hasn't responded yet."

 _Sheesh, I thought Max would have been the needy one in the relationship… Calm down, Chloe._

"Call her then… she's probably still talking about her fancy trip to San Francisco with Mr. Jefferson—"

"That you are totally not jealous about…" Chloe finished for him as she put her phone to her ear, but her teasing expression vanished instantly when she removed the phone from her ear to double check something. "Her phone's off. Her phone is _never_ off!"

Kevin's own smile vanished, but he did his best to rationalize something so out of character for Max. "Perhaps it just died? Come on, Chloe. Let's go check the party, maybe she's back there… or by your truck—"

"Or let's just go straight to Jefferson's office, or class, or whatever, lead the way."

Not wishing to argue with her, Kevin shrugged and did as she asked.

Once outside, Chloe demanded that they hurry so he increased their pace. They found the doors to the main building frustratingly locked, so they ran around the building to peer through the windows into Mr. Jefferson's classroom.

Empty.

Not needing his direction anymore, Chloe tore off towards the parking lot. Hastening after her, Kevin's stomach tightened.

Max wasn't standing by Chloe's truck, or anywhere else for that matter. Entirely unconcerned with whoever was in her way, Chloe dashed back towards the party. Kevin trailed after her and apologized to several people whom Chloe had knocked over. Luckily, most of them were drunk enough that they hadn't realized who, or even what, had knocked them off their feet.

Kevin followed Chloe around the still ongoing party as she continued her frantic search for Max. A hectic search of the bathrooms and the VIP section revealed no sign of Max either and, oddly enough, Kevin failed to spy Victoria, but it was possible that he had missed her while focusing on Max. Nathan's presence was just as absent.

Close to panic now, Chloe pulled out her phone once more, thrusting it to her ear as she exited the building the same way that they had entered. Kevin close on her heels.

"Maybe she went back to her room?" He offered even though he highly doubted his own suggestion. They probably would have run into her if she had. Chloe though, lacking any further direction, and even closer to panic, tore off at a full sprint towards the dorms.

 _Damn, she can really move when she needs to!_

Kevin tore after her, doing his best to keep up as his thigh pulsed with pain.

The pair were soon outside Max's dorm, breathing heavily. Chloe tried the door and found it unlocked. Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as Chloe's pale face flushed with color. However, the foreboding emptiness of the room cut the premature celebration painfully short.

Removing her phone once again, Chloe tried calling Max, desperately hoping for her to answer. She was disappointed. Storming out into the hall, Chloe called out Max's name at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing through the empty halls. Alice, Kate's pet rabbit, jolted awake and Kevin cast a sad gaze at the distressed animal.

"Don't worry. We'll find Max, little one." Turning to see Chloe disappear down the hall, Kevin sighed as he withdrew his own phone and called Olivia.

 _We'll find her._


	12. Vanished

**Vanished**

Kevin wanted to throw his phone across the room in frustration. The call wasn't going well, not at all. While on the phone with Olivia, he fed Alice some of her food. Throughout the conversation, she stared at him hopefully, as if she too was worried about Max's whereabouts.

 _Probably just wants more food…_

Nathan had not been at the Prescott residence. This did little to prevent his father from being dragged away for questioning by the FBI. Apparently, the barn that held the secret bunker had the Prescott's name all over it. Nathan's father lawyered up immediately and wasn't offering any cooperation. The FBI was mobilizing the local police and a few of their own agents in a massive manhunt for Nathan. However, since Kevin hadn't been able to find him at Blackwell, Olivia didn't seem too confident that they would find him anytime soon.

Olivia's voice was grim when Kevin told her about Max's sudden disappearance. Olivia and Charlie were now on their way to Blackwell, but it would take them some time due to their distance. Realizing that Chloe had disappeared, Kevin quickly said goodbye to Alice and raced off to find her.

It took him several minutes, but he found Chloe in the parking lot pacing worriedly back and forth as she talked to someone on her phone. As he approached, she ended her call and looked towards him, her face full of tears.

"I've called Frank… I've even called my step-dou—step-father and asked him for his help. They are both ready to look for Max. I don't know what else to do Kevin. Where could she have gone? She doesn't have her own car and nobody else has seen her. She's just gone. Just like Rachel…"

Chloe's voice trailed off as she choked back tears. Kevin wanted to say something, anything that would ease her torment, but he was spared from his toils. In a flash of movement, Chloe was next to him. She flung her arms around him, desperately seeking some form of comfort.

Terrified and touched all at once, Kevin did his best to comfort his devastated friend. He wrapped his arms around her and searched the universe of words for something helpful to say.

Nothing came to mind.

Entirely at a loss, Kevin glanced around the poorly lit parking lot in search of inspiration. His heart nearly stopped when his gaze fell upon a visage that looked remarkably like the strange man Olivia had referred to as an observer. If it was indeed him, and he could think of no other person who would dress as he did, then the name fit quite well. The mysterious figure was doing exactly that, observing. Kevin was about to call out to the strange man, but he felt Chloe stiffen in his arms, then seconds later a voice called out to him from behind.

"I know where your friend is… but we must move quickly—"

Kevin spun around, and in a flash of movement he had positioned himself between Chloe and the voice. He drew his newly appropriated firearm in a flash and leveled it on the figure that had seemingly materialized from the darkness, flanked by one other figure.

Chloe recovered from her shock instantly. Requiring no further information, she drew her revolver and leveled it on the second figure. Kevin knew from the sound of the deep, gravelly chuckle, that her target was Canderous.

Kevin's target came into view, his own face was easily recognizable. It didn't take Chloe long to pick up on the fact that the figure whom Kevin had leveled his gun at looked almost exactly like him. The situation deteriorated rapidly.

"What the fuck? He looks just like you! What the hell?" Chloe's aim faltered. Canderous chuckled even more menacingly.

Kevin's doppelganger took a confident step forward, unconcerned with the weapon pointed his way. His voice was entirely too playful.

"Indeed. Tonight, is certainly a special night. Two Kevins, two moons… I wonder what else there are two of?" Kevin's eyes shot skyward in response to the voice of his double. He couldn't help but gasp as he looked upon the incredibly odd sight of two moons hanging almost adjacent to each other in the sky. "Please tell me this is not your first time noticing that…" his double added with a sigh of blatant disappointment.

 _Fuck off… me… I've been busy._

"I've seen it," Chloe replied flatly, not bothering to look up. "It's the end of the world, haven't you heard?"

"Indeed?" Kevin's doppelganger seemed rather intrigued by Chloe's behavior.

"Cut the shit! What have you done with Max!?" Chloe snapped, setting her sights Kevin's doppelganger, leaving Canderous free to act. Canderous instinctively went for his weapon, but ceased his movements when he was calmly ordered to stand down.

"I haven't done anything to your friend. In fact, I am trying to help you save her. So, I will say this once, and only once, lower your weapons." Kevin knew himself well enough to know that the other him was quickly losing patience. Exhaling slowly, Kevin lowered his weapon and nodded towards Chloe, motioning for her to do the same as he tucked his pistol away.

Kevin expected Chloe to protest, but she quickly snapped her sights off of her target and shoved her revolver back into the rear of her pants. Without preamble, she hastened towards her truck. The sudden movement startled their adversaries, but the pair quickly recovered their composure.

"Follow us and stay close. We won't be going far." Kevin's double spoke quickly and motioned towards a nearby vehicle. And with that, Canderous and the boy who held his leash made for their vehicle.

Chloe turned to Kevin and impatiently beckoned for him to follow. As Kevin moved, he cast a glance back to where he thought he had spied the 'observer' and wasn't surprised at all to see no sign of him. Kevin climbed aboard Chloe's truck and she engaged the ignition, hastily maneuvering her truck to follow the black sedan, a BMW of some kind, that Kevin's doppelganger and Canderous had boarded.

"What the fuck is going on? Who the hell is that guy? Why the fuck does he look just like you?" Chloe's barrage of questions would have continued if he hadn't motioned for her to be quiet as he furiously searched for Olivia's number.

"I'll explain later, just follow them and keep quiet… I need to tell Olivia what's going on!"

Chloe held back her questions and put her fury into her truck as she chased after their quarry.

* * *

During the short and chaotic ride, Kevin called Olivia and informed her what was going on. He had no idea where they were headed, but he told her that he would let her know as soon as he discovered it himself. After hanging up, he quickly explained to Chloe a very abridged version of the events that occurred when his doppelganger and his men had accosted him, only to let him go after the 'observer' had intervened. As the vehicle that they were following came to a stop behind another identical vehicle, Chloe pulled in behind them. All three vehicles were parked more or less on the side of the road. All around them the trees were thick and ahead of them, a very well-off looking house could be seen.

"I think we can trust these guys… don't quote me on that though. Not too long ago, they were thinking about killing me."

"I don't give a shit who these guys are. Seriously, I don't. All I care about is finding Max. If they help with that... then whatever. Who gives a shit if one of them looks like you?" Chloe's voice trailed off as a single figure exited the vehicle that had already been here and three more figures exited the vehicle that they had been following.

Kevin climbed out of Chloe's truck and watched as his doppelganger and his men popped open the trunks to both of their vehicles. The three men and their leader began to arm themselves. Kevlar vests were strapped on while a variety of rifles and submachine guns were prepared. Chloe disembarked as well, and side by side the pair approached, watching in awe at the spectacle before them.

"Hans, status?" the other Kevin called over to the man who had been waiting for them in the identical vehicle.

"Half-a-dozen cameras, even distribution, no blind spots. Solid security system active on all doors. One inside, plus two hostages," Hans responded calmly as he zipped up his armored vest and belted an already holstered pistol around his waist.

 _Two hostages… Victoria?_

"Options?" Kevin's duplicate asked casually as he shoved a magazine into a sub-machine gun and charged the weapon.

"I can hack into the system... but that will take time," Hans responded as he adjusted his sunglasses.

 _Why the fuck is he still wearing those? It's pitch black out here!_

"Max might not have time!" Chloe interjected as she took one quick step towards the others. "We have to do something. Now!"

Canderous cocked a shotgun and nodded towards Chloe, grinning ear to ear. "Frontal assault then," his voice trailed off as Chloe pushed her way towards the open trunk and inspected the array of weaponry. "I like her. Can we keep her, boss?"

Kevin managed to catch an armored vest that Chloe threw his way. As she struggled to put her own on, Canderous roughly helped her into it, thrashing the girl about as he secured its dangling straps. Grinning malevolent, the huge man offered her a choice from the array of weaponry that had been assembled before her.

Kevin had his own vest on and secured with minimal difficulty. His doppelganger handed him the sub-machine gun that he had apparently been equipping specifically for him. Checking to make sure that the weapons' safety was still on, Kevin accepted the empty pistol holster being handed to him by the third man whom he thought was Gerrard. However, the man's clean shaven and bald face and head starkly contrasted Gerrard's appearance.

"This is Lee… Lee, meet my clone," Kevin's doppelganger added, nodding to Kevin. Lee turned to look back at his commander as he readied his assault rifle.

"Looks just like you… bloody creepy," Lee said, his words dripping with astonishment.

"That's the whole idea of clones I suppose…" said the other Kevin before exhaling to clear his mind, and gathered his men around him. "Alright listen up… we're going in hard and fast. The building is surrounded by a perimeter fence, so once we're through that, alarms should start ringing inside. Canderous the door is yours. Once we're through, Lee you take the second floor. Hans, you take the main floor with Canderous, and I'll take the basement." The fierce looking boy pointed forcibly right at Kevin and then at Chloe. "You two stay right behind me, no heroics. You two are only coming in because I know you won't stay back, even if I forced you to, and we don't have time to deal with that shit, understood?"

Chloe nodded and Kevin mimicked her response.

Just when it seemed like the boy was done speaking he called for questions. Conveniently enough, Kevin's scarred double was looking right at him. It was almost as if he knew that he had a burning question in the back of his mind.

"Where's Gerrard?"

The boy who looked just like him smiled reassuringly at him and winked. "Keeping Kate safe… just in case." Speechless, Kevin should probably have thanked him, but all he could do was nod. "Alright, let's move!"

With those words barely out of the boy's mouth, his men charged towards their objective with their commander hot on their tails. Kevin and Chloe sprinted after them, but were easily outpaced and found themselves lagging behind. There was a loud crash as the outer gate was smashed open, followed seconds later by a loud boom as Canderous blew open the front door with his shotgun.

Kevin and Chloe could only look on in awe as they sprinted through the front yard to catch up as the three men and their commander filed into the house in an expertly trained maneuver. If anyone had been waiting for them in ambush, Kevin was certain that it would have failed. He and Chloe caught up to the other Kevin as he quickly but carefully navigated the stairs to the basement. He found himself behind Chloe as she had pushed herself in front of him and positioned herself right behind his doppelganger.

The leading Kevin reached the bottom of the staircase and, weapon at the ready, cleared the corner to his left. Moments later, all hell broke loose.

"Drop the weapon! Drop it!" the boy screamed, his voice loud and menacing.

"I'll kill her, don't fucking move—Kevin!?" Kevin couldn't see what was going on, but he froze as he recognized the voice.

Chloe, however, didn't freeze.

The blue-haired girl threw herself around the corner. Snapping out of his stupor, Kevin moved to follow, but was shocked when Chloe was thrown back towards him, the back of her head bloodied and a mass of carnage. Chloe's lifeless body fell upon him, covering him with gore.

Kevin's ears were ringing from the loud report of gunfire that had ended Chloe's life. The noise was so intense, he could barely hear Max's muffled screams over the return fire that his doppelganger spat out in response. Kevin choked back nausea as he felt the warmth of Chloe's blood and gore leak out onto his chest. The feeling only intensified as an overwhelming sense of vertigo overtook him. His panic quickly eased, if just barely, as he recognized the sensation.

In an instant he was back outside just before his doppelganger had ordered the assault to commence. Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but he immediately found himself keeling over and vomiting instead.

"What the fuck?" Canderous cried out as some of Kevin's vomit splashed onto his boots.

"Christ kid… nerves got to you already?" Lee grumbled disapprovingly. Oddly enough, Chloe bent down to see if he was okay and the sight of her untarnished face brought joy to his heart even though he was having difficulty shaking the ghastly image of her disfigured face out of his mind.

"That was… interesting…" his doppelganger said wistfully, catching his men completely off-guard. "And here I thought it was you all along messing with time. It appears I was wrong… Max, this friend of yours, is really quite something." Choking up the last bit of vomit, Kevin struggled upright with Chloe's help and nodded.

"What the fuck are you talking about boss?" Canderous grumbled as he cast his gaze from his commander to the boy that looked just like him.

"Well, in short, we just assaulted that house. I encountered a single hostile in the basement and engaged him. However, Chloe here took a bullet to the head before I could line up a shot. Mostly because she didn't listen to me about staying _behind me_." Pausing, as if for dramatic effect everyone cast their gazes on Chloe. Kevin, however, kept his eyes on the ground.

"Shit. Not again…" Chloe groaned.

"Don't judge my clone too harshly, Lee. I'm sure that was his first time wearing someone else's brains."

Chloe's gaze immediately shot towards Kevin. He avoided it as best he could.

"I'm… sorry," Chloe's words crawled out, struggling to manifest themselves into existence.

Only able to nod, Kevin did his best to look composed. His efforts failed to impress her and she took a step towards him, reaching out for his shoulder.

Canderous' protests cut her awkward gesture short. "Wait? How come I don't remember assaulting no damned house? What the fuck is going on here? Do you guys remember anything?"

Lee shook his head, eyeing the world around him with suspicion.

Hans, on the other hand, calmly adjusted his sunglasses, just as he had before. When the man spoke, his voice was oddly neutral. "It seems that the hostage has the ability to manipulate time. When the assault failed, she used her powers to reset everything, giving us a second chance to succeed. The Commander's abilities, it would seem, have allowed him to retain his memory of these past, now nonexistent events. It would also seem that his clone was able to retain his memories as well. Is that right, sir?"

"Right on the money, as usual Hans. So… we now know that our target is downstairs with the hostage. I bagged him by the way, if anyone is interested… two in the chest, one in the head. We also know that he's armed and that a direct assault may not be our best option."

"Why not? Let's just storm the place and take this asshole down… and, if we fuck up, the girl can just do her time rewind bullshit, right?" Canderous' plan sounded straightforward and solid but Hans quickly pointed out a flaw.

"And what if the hostage is killed, how will she rewind time then?"

Canderous, of course, had a simple solution. "We shoot the asshole before he shoots the hostage, easy."

Kevin's doppelganger clearly wasn't impressed with this solution. He called for options. It was silent for a few moments, then Lee cleared his throat and spoke up. "This guy goes after young girls, I guess?"

The question, it took Kevin a moment to realize, was directed at him and Chloe. The pair nodded in unison.

"Let's lure him up with some bait. Send Chloe in and have her knock on the door looking all drunk and seductive. Bastard won't be able to resist. Once he opens the door… Bang. Tango down. Hostage secured."

"That's no fun—" Canderous began, but found himself cut off.

"Let's do it." Chloe, apparently not worried about being bait, stepped forward and took off her armored vest and proceeded to strip off her outer layer of clothing.

Canderous, unable to help himself, whistled as Chloe stripped down to just a white tank-top and adjusted it so her black bra was sticking up just above the plunging neckline. Approaching her truck, she threw her clothes inside and, at the last moment, tore off her black beanie and ran both of her hands through her blue hair.

Chloe then proceeded to do that thing that girls do with their hair all the time that Kevin still didn't quite understand. He didn't complain though, nor would he ever. Leaning her head back, eyes closed, Chloe shook out her hair and seemed to let out a sigh of pleasure as she did so. Or was that his imagination? Or... had that been Canderous?

Regardless of who had sighed or whether or not it had happened in the first place, Chloe had finished the maneuver and seemed satisfied as her hair fell in place around her cheeks. She grabbed an empty bottle from her truck and nodded to the mystified men as she stalked towards the house. Lee quietly called out to her. She turned around, slowly at first, but finished the maneuver in a flourish. As her hair reset itself, Canderous, it was definitely him this time, made a very grotesque noise.

"When he opens the door, all you have to do is move to your left and I'll put him down. Easy right?" Lee said reassuringly. Chloe nodded and set off on her mission, but not before casting a very playful glance at Kevin.

 _Maybe it was me who sighed…_

Feeling himself blush, Kevin slowly followed his doppelganger as everyone moved into position.

"Canderous, that girl is like fourteen… get a bloody grip mate," Lee whispered as they stalked towards their positions.

"Nineteen I believe, actually," Hans reported flatly, still wearing his sunglasses but having no difficulty seeing where he was going in the dark.

"Nineteen is legal here, right?" Canderous whispered to no one in particular, his gaze fixated on Chloe as she approached the gate.

Everyone was in position and Kevin noted that Lee was already lining up his shot. Hans was also setting himself up in a firing position, but it seemed as if he was only there to support Lee. The distance wasn't great at all. Kevin figured that it would be an easy shot regardless of who took it.

So long as Chloe moved out of the way, at least.

Chloe passed through the gate and sauntered her way toward the front door as if she were on a runway at a fashion show. The security cameras had her in sight and Kevin hoped that whoever was inside could see her at the moment because she certainly looked—

"Why Kate… and not her?" The blunt question from his doppelganger interrupted Kevin's thoughts and he struggled to answer for a moment. The boy that looked just as he did, save for a few minor details, hadn't even turned to face him.

"She's with Max…" Kevin responded lamely. However, his brain quickly reconnected itself with his mouth and he continued. "And besides Kate's more my type. I'm not into bad girls… Chloe's trouble."

"That she is… I do like trouble myself," his doppelganger responded wistfully as Chloe finally reached the door and rang the doorbell.

Chloe mimicked taking a final swig from her empty bottle, swaying back and forth ever so slightly as if she had been drinking. Before any further words could be exchanged, there was movement at the door. It opened and Kevin suddenly remembered the voice he had recognized in the basement.

"Mr. Jefferson!" As Kevin stared in shock. Chloe took action.

She did not move left.

Taking a quick and sudden step forward, she smashed her bottle against Mr. Jefferson's face and he staggered back in complete surprise.

"He's going for his weapon." Kevin heard Hans report calmly off to his left. Kevin's doppelganger and Canderous leapt into action, but Kevin felt as if he was frozen in place as he watched the events play out before him.

There was no way that anyone would get a shot in time.

"Dammit girl, move!" Lee cursed, clearly unable to get a shot.

Kevin watched as Chloe drew her own weapon, faster and surer than Jefferson. Without a moment of hesitation, she fired point blank into Jefferson's chest.

The crack of the shot jolted Kevin awake. Finding himself able to move again, Kevin rushed forward, gripping his weapon tightly. His former teacher collapsed heavily on the floor of his home. Chloe loomed over him, leveling her revolver on his head.

"Chloe, no!" Kevin cried, but his words were either too late or went unheard.

The second crack from Chloe's gun sent a bullet straight into Jefferson's head. He immediately ceased moving. Skidding to a halt, Kevin nearly tripped on a low-lying shrub and watched in horror as Chloe disappeared deeper into the house.

Either forgetting that Jefferson was alone in the house, or being extra cautious, Hans and Lee continued clearing the house and Kevin's doppelganger rushed after Chloe. Kevin slowly entered with Canderous lurking right behind him. The odd pair stopped to inspect the corpse.

"Now why the fuck shouldn't she have wasted him, huh?" the massive man demanded, kicking the corpse dismissively. "Fucking hipster Patrick Batemen…"

 _How the hell do you even know that reference?_

Canderous must have noticed Kevin's incredulous stare because he snorted defensively, "What? I read."

"I didn't want her to kill him because now it's possible that the FBI, or the police, will charge her with his murder, that's why."

Canderous grunted, scrunching his already hideous face as he mulled over the problem. Lee came bounding down the stairs from the second floor, giving the all clear. Hans glided into view, giving his companions a reassuring nod.

The house was clear.

"Out of the way, kid." And without any further warning from Canderous, he leveled his massive shotgun on Jefferson's chest and fired. Kevin barely had time to get out of the way as a shower of gore and blood splattered the nearby area. His ears ringing painfully from the concussion, Kevin stumbled further away from the house when he realized that the man hadn't finished quite yet.

In one swift and practiced motion, Canderous cocked his weapon. A still smoking shell casing fell towards the floor. As it fell, Canderous leveled his weapon on the corpse's head and fired once more.

From outside, Kevin could see very little of the corpse. However, he imagined that there was very little left to see. Canderous seemed all too pleased with himself. Lee, slightly confused, cast what remained of the corpse a quick and dismissive look before proceeding on by towards the basement. Hans took a long thorough look at the scene and nodded approvingly to Canderous. The hulking man became ever more pleased with his magnum opus.

"There, I fixed it… now you can stop bitching." Canderous' words were barely audible through Kevin's ringing ears. With that, the massive man let out an equally massive laugh, shouldered his weapon, and moved off. Presumably to find something else to destroy.

Kevin crept into the house and did his best not look at what remained of Mark Jefferson. He couldn't help himself. The man's face was completely unrecognizable and what remained of his head was only a fraction of the size of what it once was. His chest had fared no better—there was a deep cavity of carnage and gore. Kevin could even see bits of the man's ruined rib cage, but as he began to pick out other details, his mind had finally had enough.

Kevin staggered away retching. Hearing this, Canderous' laugh bellowed ever louder. Kevin did his best to ignore the beastly man's mockery as he took the stairs to the basement one step at a time.

"Kevin… what happened to your face?" Max's voice brought him out of his stupor somewhat and he quickened his descent and made his way around the corner.

The main room of the basement was large and spacious and was populated by a fancy desk with a high-tech computer and some other gadgets that appeared to be for developing film. Several secure and locked metal cabinets covered the walls and a large leather couch and a few matching chairs littered the room as well.

The far wall was bare, immaculately painted white. The floor just in front of this wall was covered with white fabric and was clearly set up for photography. At the center of this setup was a sturdy wooden chair that Chloe was helping Max out of.

Max, the least clothed Kevin had ever seen her, stumbled and could barely walk. Chloe supported her, but ended up mostly carrying her towards the couch. Max was pale and shaking, her eyes entirely glossed over. The girl's face was mostly blank, but her eyes were lazily darting back and forth as she tried to make sense of everything all at once.

Chloe, tears in her eyes, looked as if she would never let Max go ever again. Once the two girls made it to the couch, the pair seemed to melt into each other's arms.

"Chloe… why are there two of Kevin…? And what happened to one of their faces?" Max's tiny voice drawled out.

Chloe shushed her partner and snuggled up closer to her. Lee appeared around the corner from one of the side rooms and motioned for Kevin to follow him and, overwhelmed by curiosity, he immediately obeyed.

The room he entered was also clearly set up for photography, although much smaller than the main room. Standing lights, white fabric, and bare walls greeted him. Hans was inside leaning over the unmoving form of another scantily clad girl who was tightly bound. As Kevin approached, he recognized Victoria and stared at her for a moment, too afraid to ask the obvious question.

"Her vitals are stable, she's just heavily sedated… see there's a breath."

Kevin let out a breath of his own as he watched Victoria's chest slowly rise and fall. She lay eerily still once more.

"I was going to ask if you knew this wee lass… but that answer is pretty bloody obvious now then, eh?" Lee clapped Kevin on both of his shoulders from behind as he continued to stare at Victoria. "Don't worry, she'll pull through."

Kevin felt numb all over and barely felt the man's hands slap his shoulders. He just stood and watched as Hans carefully released Victoria from her bonds and manipulated her body into a more comfortable position.

"Go on, I'll keep an eye on her, it's rude to stare," Hans said dryly, motioning towards the door. Suddenly aware that he _had_ been staring, Kevin obediently left the room, his face warm with heat. As his face cooled, Kevin wondered if he would ever see Victoria seem so peaceful ever again. Back in the main room, he wandered over to one of the chairs and numbly collapsed into it.

 _Holy shit… it's over._

"Boss, we've got company!" Canderous bellowed as he came charging down the stairs.

Everyone was on their feet and ready for action in seconds, weapons at the ready. The only exceptions were Max and Chloe. The tension in the room infected Max and she began to shiver violently. Chloe doggedly refused to let go of her friend, holding her tighter.

"Who the hell is it now?" Lee grumbled. The answer came a few tense moments later as voices could be heard upstairs.

"FBI!" The calls filled the house as the agents methodically spread their way through the building. They were no doubt on edge and ready for trouble, each had to pass Jefferson's mutilated corpse as they entered through the front door.

"Friendlies downstairs! Check your fire!" Kevin's doppelganger called back in a surprisingly loud and commanding voice. He then motioned to his men and they all lowered their weapons. Everyone did their best to look non-threatening. Not that Canderous had a look that _wasn't_ threatening, but Kevin mused that the massive man was probably _less threatening_ when he was sitting down, or at least not smiling in the hideous manner that he did.

"Who's down there?" a voice called back from the top of the stairs.

"Kevin, Chloe, Max, and several rough looking people you won't know. We are armed but do not pose a threat to you. You may come down, if you wish."

"Kevin, is that you?" the voice called back. Kevin recognized it as Charlie's unmistakable voice.

"I'm the other Kevin… but yes he's down here too, as are his friends, Max and Chloe… plus another female that was abducted by the owner of this residence."

"The guy by the door, right?" Charlie's voice trailed off as his thoughts clearly went back to the mutilated corpse.

"Yes." Kevin's duplicate leveled his gaze on Canderous, "Or what's left of him I presume?"

The big man simply shrugged as if he had done nothing unnatural causing both Kevins to sigh.

"Please, don't do that again…" Lee grumbled as he shook his head. "It's weird enough already. Next thing you know this kid is going to be barking orders—"

"We're going to have to see one of the kids before anything else happens—" Charlie began, but Kevin quickly moved towards the stairs and shouted over him.

"Who the hell are calling a kid, old man?"

"Kevin, is this you this time or… the other guy?" Charlie responded slowly, understandably confused.

"What, you can't tell? That blow to the head did more damage than I thought! I'm coming around the corner. Please don't shoot me!" Kevin shot back as he prepared to step into view.

"Keep it up with that lip boy and I might!" Charlie shouted back, frustrated.

 _He's just joking… I hope._

Kevin peered around the corner of the stairs. He was hesitant at first, but his confidence soared when Charlie lowered his weapon and ordered the two agents with him to follow suite. Kevin waved. All three of the agents were in full body armor and were armed to the teeth but their bewildered expressions made them seem very nonthreatening, almost comical.

 _Definitely no-where near as terrifying as Canderous at any rate_ , Kevin mused.

"How the hell am I supposed to tell you two apart?" Charlie grumbled as he motioned to someone out of view. The two other agents disappeared from view and Olivia, also in full tactical gear, hurried into view.

"He's got a nasty scar on his face, so I'm _way_ better looking." Both Charlie and Olivia cracked tense smiles at the joke, but remained where they were at the top of the stairs.

"Think again buddy, chicks dig scars. Right, Chloe?" Kevin's doppelganger flashed a roguish smile.

"I am _so_ not getting involved in this." Chloe's response didn't seem to bother him though.

"You're no fun." Kevin rolled his eyes at his doppelganger's comment and returned his gaze to Olivia and Charlie. Peter had joined them.

"Alright, we're coming down," Olivia called.

Kevin made way for them as the trio cautiously made their way down. It took some time, and there were a few tense moments where Kevin expected everything to go wrong. However, in spite of this, Olivia, Charlie and Peter were soon gathered at the base of the stairs. Their hands tightly gripped their weapons, but they kept them lowered.

The rough men under the command of his doppelganger held their ground, but kept their weapons lowered. Chloe hadn't bothered to look up, or even greet the FBI team. She continued to hold Max close as the frail girl shivered in her arms. Kevin had to keep reminding himself to breathe, but when he looked nervously at his scarred duplicate he calmed somewhat. Not looking worried at all, the boy smiled warmly at the agents and seemed totally unconcerned and oblivious to the mounting tension in the room. When he spoke, his tone was friendly and soothing. His disarming voice immediately cut through the tensions that threatened to suffocate the room.

"We have two girls that are in need of medical attention, nothing serious, but they both are suffering from the effects of heavy sedation. If you have medics on hand, I would implore you to call for them," he allowed his words to trail off for a moment as a stare-down between Charlie and Canderous caught his attention. "And Canderous... quit your posturing and sit down or something before you make _me_ nervous."

"Yes, boss," chuckled Canderous.

The large man eased his massive form into one of the empty leather chairs and, even though he was now sitting and doing his best to seem friendly, he still looked rather imposing.

"Peter, get Walter," Olivia spoke slowly, her eyes now fixed on Max.

Peter nodded to Olivia and, as he hurried up the stairs, Olivia slowly holstered her weapon and cautiously made her way over to Max and Chloe. Charlie remained where he was and kept his weapon drawn and at his side. He watched as Kevin eased himself into the lone remaining chair save for the wooden one that Max had been tied up in.

 _Ain't no way in hell I'm getting in that chair._

"You alright, kid?" Charlie asked as he inspected Kevin.

Kevin had felt like a total badass with his new armored vest and his submachine gun. Now, however, he realized that he was just a stupid kid playing soldier surrounded by professionals. Nodding slowly, Kevin deliberately exhaled through his nose and felt most of the remaining tension flood out of him.

"It's been… a day," Kevin managed as he carefully set his weapon down on the floor. The damned thing felt far heavier all of the sudden.

Charlie smiled and nodded. He was forced to move out of the way as Walter and Peter came rushing down the stairs. Walter froze when he noticed that there were two Kevin's in the room, and gradually found his voice after several long moments of hesitation.

"Are we certain that he's not from the alternate universe?" Walter's demanding question was met with a simple shrug from his son. Peter's nonchalant response only fueled the older man's paranoia.

"This 'alternate universe' thing keeps coming up. I can assure you that whatever it is you are talking about... I am not from there. That kid over there is my clone—"

"I will need a blood sample to confirm that," Walter responded in a much fiercer tone. "Or are you afraid of needles too?"

Face suddenly burning, Kevin did his best to ignore the amused glances cast his way.

"I fear only one thing… and it's certainly not _needles_."

Kevin glared at his doppelganger. A small smile crept onto his pursed lips though when Chloe scoffed at the remark. At least Chloe had his back.

"Oh, is that so? And what is it you fear then?" Walter's mocking tone set the heavily armed soldiers in the room ill at ease. The three men remained silent despite their grave expressions.

Walter prepped a needle and began to draw blood from the arm that was offered to him. No one mentioned to Walter that he had been brought down to look after Max and Victoria; the tense wordplay had everyone's strict attention.

"Losing those I care about." His duplicate's voice quivered slightly and his tone softened. Walter's face immediately saddened as he finished with his extraction. The pair held each other's gaze for a moment until Walter broke off and secured the blood sample in his portable gear.

"And it would seem that your worst fears have already come true, from the way you say it."

Kevin's mouth went dry as images of his nightmares suddenly flashed in to focus.

 _That girl… it wasn't Kate it was—_

"Kiera…" His duplicate finished his thoughts as he turned towards him, nodding grimly. "It seems my nightmares plague you as well. It appears that we are more connected than I first thought possible."

Everyone in the room seemed to collectively hold their breaths, the silence was almost deafening. Walter licked his lips and would probably have pressed for more information, but Kevin found his voice and began to make sense of his dreams.

"They mutilated her and left her alive so that you would find her—" His duplicate nodded grimly, his eyes hard and dark. "And she died in your arms. You buried her in that desert… and then—"

"I killed them all." The voice that his duplicate spoke with was as hard, cold as ice. His eyes appeared to have turned to stone and every muscle that was visible on him tensed almost unnaturally. Hans quickly moved to the boy's side and whispered something in his ear, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. Slowly, Kevin's scarred double returned to normal and the suffocating tension in the room dissipated once again.

"So… that's why you sent Gerrard to watch over Kate?" Kevin asked hesitantly, coming to a rough understanding. His duplicate nodded, seeming more like himself again, but significantly more withdrawn.

"Yes, my fears… my horrors, should stay my own." The room was silent once again. Walter had at some point, with Chloe's express permission, begun to look over Max. Peter disappeared into the other room to check on Victoria, so Walter quietly asked Charlie if he could fetch some blankets, but Charlie had other ideas.

"We need some blankets down here, now!" Charlie hollered up the stairs causing everyone in the room to jump slightly, even Canderous. Clearly proud of himself, Charlie looked over at the disgruntled giant and smiled mockingly at him. "You okay there, big guy?"

Canderous grumbled, but said nothing as he made himself comfortable once more. Charlie's demands must have also startled the agents upstairs, because several thick blankets were brought down moments later.

Max was soon bundled up and looked much happier, especially when Chloe burrowed inside and snuggled up next to her. Peter reported that Victoria was still unconscious but her vitals were growing stronger. He then proceeded to collect the remaining blankets and bundled her up as well. Olivia looked around for a moment as if searching for something, clearly not yet satisfied.

"So… I'm guessing we never found Nathan then?" Kevin and Chloe shook their heads. Olivia looked long and hard at them, her eyes full of suspicion. Max spoke up, her voice still alarmingly weak.

"Jefferson… he said that he was 'dead and buried,' and that 'no one would find him.'" Max's continuing state of weakness caused Chloe to hold her tighter and Max snuggled back up to her.

Olivia nodded slowly, turning to face Kevin's duplicate. "And what's your story, if you're not from the alternate universe, then where the hell are you from? Walter, you said it yourself, cloning as 'perfect' as this shouldn't be possible, right?"

"Indeed so, Agent Dunham, even though it appears that these two are identical, I expect to find many inconsistencies in their blood work… though I must admit that I am still very skeptical of these two being clones, such technology doesn't exist. Not here anyway."

"You won't find any inconsistencies. He's my clone," the boy said, entirely uninterested in any arguments.

"Care to explain how this all happened?" Olivia asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"It's a long story," Kevin's duplicate responded flatly.

"We've got time," countered Olivia, shrugging.

"No, we don't… my men and I are leaving."

If the boy's words shocked her, Olivia didn't let on.

"Would I be wrong in assuming that it was one of your men that—"

"Yeah, it was me," Canderous admitted, all too happily, as if he were a bloodthirsty killer. It certainly helped that he _was_ a bloodthirsty killer. "You, going to arrest me?"

Clearly not intimidated, Olivia took a bold step towards the massive man.

"Two shots at close range with that shotgun, was that really necessary?" Olivia asked, looking deeply into the large man's eyes.

"He had a gun," Canderous declared defensively.

"But your first shot most certainly neutralized him… you blew out half of his chest."

"He twitched… had to make sure." Canderous smiled ruthlessly, probably dispelling any of the doubts Olivia had in her mind. Kevin certainly believed that he was indeed the man who had ended Jefferson's life, even though it was a lie. Olivia backed off, clearly satisfied.

"Even so, you're all staying here until I get some answers." She said this flatly, yet sternly, as if there were no other options.

"And that, Agent Dunham, is where you are wrong." And just like that, in an instant, Olivia and her team found themselves surrounded and outgunned.

Peter was dragged out of the adjacent room at gunpoint by Hans while Charlie, the only one capable of reacting, was staring down the barrel of Canderous' shotgun. Glaring fiercely at his opponent, Charlie lowered his weapon, placing it on the floor. "We mean you no harm, nor wish any harm to come to you, but we _are_ leaving, Agent Dunham. It would not be wise to get in our way."

"We have plenty of agents upstairs," Olivia responded defiantly

"Do you wish to throw their lives away in a foolish attempt to capture me just so I can answer a few questions, that in time, will no doubt be revealed to you?"

Before Olivia could answer, her phone vibrated loudly from its holster attached to her belt. Kevin's duplicate stared at the offending device, his face suddenly hard. Confusion mounting, Kevin watched as his duplicate motioned for his men to lower their weapons.

"You should answer that."

Momentarily shocked by the sudden reversal of the situation, Olivia hesitated briefly before snatching up her phone. After a few quick words with whoever had called her, she switched the phone to speaker and an angry, flustered, but commanding voice barked through.

"What the hell is going on down there? An F5 category tornado has appeared off the coast of Arcadia bay out of nowhere! I've got analysts over here that want to call it an F6 because of how damned powerful it is… it's off the charts." The voice paused for a moment and he could be heard talking to someone else but he returned with even more distressing news. "You've got about thirty minutes before that thing wipes Arcadia Bay off the map… and probably most of Oregon along with it. So, if you can do something to stop it, I would strongly advise that you get to it… if not, get the hell out its way! Does doctor Bishop have anything to say about this, anything at all?" Olivia turned to Walter who was staring sadly at Max. Olivia called out to him, startling the older man into action.

"Agent Broyles!" Walter shouted into the phone as he approached, unbalancing everyone further. Broyles, sighed wearily.

"Doctor Bishop, I can hear you just fine."

"Oh… right," Walter composed himself somewhat before continuing and moved closer to Olivia's phone and continued somewhat quieter, although not by much. "I theorize that this sudden phenomenon is the culmination of a series of breaches between the two universes and that it will dissipate once it has run its course. Once all of its energy has been unleashed, I believe that everything will return to normal and that we shall see no further incidents in the area."

"I'm sorry, Doctor Bishop, but we are looking at an event of cataclysmic proportions. Are you telling me that you have no way of stopping this thing?"

"Forgive me, Agent Broyles, but how does one stop a tornado? The technology just does not exist!"

Broyles went quiet. Before anything else could be said, Kevin's duplicate sprung into action and began to bark orders at his men.

"Lieutenant Martin, prepare a vehicle, now!" Lee disappeared up the stairs as he hastened to comply with his orders. Charlie dashed after him, hopefully to make sure none of the other agents interfered. "Lieutenant Hans, contact Admiral Daala and have her dispatch a ship… have her techs modify the ion cannons, perhaps they can weaken the cyclone before it reaches the town. If not… I'll stop it."

 _Admiral who? A ship? What kind of ship?_

"She won't be too happy about that, sir," Hans responded as he removed an odd-looking piece of tech that Kevin guessed was some sort of communication device.

"Then she'd better stop that damned thing before it gets to the town." The boy began to move towards the stairs to head after Lee, but he stopped and turned towards Kevin. "Sergeant, give him the keys to the other vehicle."

Canderous produced a set of keys and tossed them towards Kevin. He somehow managed to catch them despite the state of shock that he was in.

"Go to Kate," Kevin's doppelganger said flatly, as if Kevin was one of his soldiers to be ordered around. "Keep her safe... I'll let Gerrard know that you are coming."

And with that, Kevin's state of uncertainty and confusion vanished. Kevin jumped up and bounded up the stairs, right on the heels of his duplicate. They tore past several confused looking FBI agents and burst outside into the night. Strong winds were already tearing at the surrounding trees as a heavy rain pounded towards the earth, stinging him as he charged through the sudden apocalyptic weather. Lee already had one of their vehicles parked out front and jumped out when he saw them running towards him.

"Go with him, Lieutenant. Get him to the hospital. Just pretend he's me and follow his orders!"

Without waiting for confirmation, Kevin's duplicate dove inside the vehicle and speed off down the road despite the inclement weather. Kevin and Lee looked at one another for a second and, either because of the pouring rain or because of his orders, Lee motioned for Kevin to follow and together they ran off towards the second vehicle.


	13. Sacrifice

**The Sacrifice**

"What the hell was all that?" Broyles demanded as the two Kevins bounded up the stairs. Olivia was at a loss for words for a moment, but she composed herself and responded.

"We're working two separate options that… could help. I don't know how successful either will be, but we're doing everything we can."

Broyles chewed through her response and was probably wondering if he should just trust her or demand to know more.

"Keep me informed. We'll keep tracking the storm from here, but that's all we can do. We'll probably lose communications as that thing annihilates the surrounding infrastructure. Good luck, Agent Dunham, and Godspeed."

The call ended. Olivia turned to Walter, who was sadly looking down at Max.

"Please tell me that there is more that we can do instead of just sitting here?" Olivia asked. Walter turned his sad gaze on her and shook his head slowly. "Did you understand anything of what that kid said? Can he really stop this thing?"

"I have no idea, Agent Dunham. The way I see it, we are powerless to stop this catastrophe from unfolding. This is beyond any of us."

"Well let's hope that this… other Kevin and his people are able to do something then…" Olivia's words trailed off as the lights began to flicker. The storm was drawing closer.

* * *

 _Stupid fucking kid! What the fuck has he gotten himself into now?_

Admiral Natasi Daala's thoughts were blacker than her mood and the crew of the _Night Hammer_ clearly noticed this. They made every effort to make themselves invisible as they set about their duties. Storming onto the bridge, she called out to her watch standers for an update and they immediately began updating her on the situation.

 _He's always throwing himself in front of danger like its his fucking job! But this… this fucking tops the rest of his godamned stunts put together!_

"Ma'am, the ship is in position and all stealth modules are operating at one-hundred percent efficiency!" one of the younger officers reported quickly.

"Good, at least we won't be detected."

"Well… if anyone looks up…" The man's voice trailed off as she fixed him with a venomous glare. He quickly saluted and turned back towards his station.

Kevin had probably meant for her to send a much smaller ship for this operation, but he had also wanted ion cannons. She had brought ion cannons. Her flagship had more than any other ship in the fleet after all.

The now silent crewman had been alluding to the fact that the _Night Hammer_ was massive and easily observable to the naked eye from the surface. Her ship was nineteen hundred meters in length, but it boasted nearly one thousand ion cannons… Well, it would have if they were all operational. Such a massive starship was a nightmare to maintain, and along with the rest of her fleet, there were only so many people to crew them. Every ship barely had enough crew to function, let alone maintain. But even with only about half, she was actually certain that only forty-eight percent of the weapons were operational, her ship still outgunned every other ship in the fleet, almost combined.

 _Let's just hope nobody important looks up right now…_

Natasi was breaking some major rules, but orders were orders. For better or worse, she had pledged her allegiance to Kevin many years ago.

"Ma'am, all operational ion cannons have been modified per specifications and are standing by for your command," her weapons officer reported with significantly less nervousness than the previous officer.

"Will this work?" Natasi asked, doing her best to rid her voice of her anxieties.

"Ma'am?" The officer blinked in confusion.

"You heard me," Natasi ground out, she hated repeating herself. The officer swallowed hard and did his best not to break away from her venomous gaze.

"Yes, ma'am… Ion cannons are almost exclusively employed to disable electrical systems or—"

"I know what they were designed to do, damnit!" She forced herself to unclench her fists and lower her voice, her acidic tone was liable to send the rest of the crew running for the escape pods if she continued as she was. "Will they do anything to stop this damned cyclone? And will Kev—the admiral be in any danger?"

"I have never heard of a situation where this has been tried before… but with our modifications…" His voice trailed off. Fear, Natasi saw it, she could practically smell it. Fear of the old ways, though they had been cast aside long ago.

Years ago, if he had stated that something would work and it didn't... not only could he lose his rank or career, but he was also liable to lose his life. But things were different now. Things were different serving under Kevin.

"The Admiral won't be in any danger from our barrage, that is certain. The cyclone will have rendered his position untenable long before he risks being struck by our barrage."

 _I noticed you have said nothing for the success of this operation, fine, so be it._ Natasi nodded and the man quickly saluted, all too happy to be out of her crosshairs.

Kevin's Jedi sorcery was one of the few things that Natasi didn't quite understand, and she rarely attempted to do to so. He had the ability to do incredible things. Time and time again, he had altered the course of a battle, single-handedly fought off dozens of opponents and countless other miracles. But could he really stop a massive cyclone _that_ powerful in its tracks, let alone dissipate it with his powers?

 _I won't sit by and do nothing while he runs off on another fool's errand._

Natasi's black-gloved hands tightened into fists.

"Stand by ion control!" Her commanding voice echoed across the bridge and the tension doubled. The crew knew what failure meant. Every single one of them loved their admiral and would do their damndest to save him. But none of them loved them like she did. Was love even the right word? Kevin had saved her life many years ago, but it was more than that, he had saved the lives of the men and women who would have died following her foolish orders.

Kevin liked to play the big bad Sith lord as much as possible, but he was the hero that the Empire had needed to save it. He had turned his back on the Empire, as he should have. He owed it nothing. The men and women under his command followed him because they believed in him. He cared about them, he actually gave a shit.

 _He's probably off trying to save the world… no… he's doing this for a girl! Yes, that has to be it! He's found himself another pretty girl to save and she's going to break his heart within a month even after he defies the laws of the goddamn universe to save her and that pathetic little town!_

Forcing herself to relax again, Natasi double checked the targeting data and found it immaculate. She did certainly love Kevin, but not as a lover would. She loved him as if he were her own child. She was old enough to be his mother after all, and when they were alone, she had to constantly restrain herself from mothering him as if he were. The boy was nineteen now and was technically her superior officer, and yet, she couldn't help seeing him as her son. He had never known his real parents, the Empire made certain of that. It had seemed only natural that she take on the responsibility… She had certainly been a better caretaker to him than his 'adopted father' had been.

 _I'll be damned if I let a fucking storm kill my… commander._

"Commence bombardment!" Natasi's words brought forth a spectacular barrage of blueish-white, ionized energy. Hundreds of cannons fired again and again at their target—the raging storm that had spawned out of nothingness. Glaring at her display, a ghostly prayer slipped through Natasi's mind.

 _This had better work..._

But according to her instruments, the immediate results were negligible. "Intensify forward battery fire! Increase volatility by twenty percent. Standby for further commands!" A series of affirmations were hastily barked her way and, within moments, her orders had been set into motion.

 _This had better work…_

* * *

"No effect on target," Hans relayed, his voice oddly calm, as usual. Kevin's garbled voice shot back almost immediately. It was difficult to make out due to the hellish amount of background noise that was blasting out of Hans's communication device, but the words came through clear enough.

"I can damned well see that Hans, thanks!"

The storm had to be close, very close.

"Sir, perhaps you should engage your target from a greater distance. I think that would be prudent." Olivia swallowed hard, listening intently. If she had actually been doing _something,_ she wouldn't have felt useless, she wouldn't feel as afraid. Fear was an unusual emotion for her, a rare emotion, a very unwelcome emotion.

"I got this, hold on!" Hans did as he was ordered and remained silent. His silence persisted even when his link with whoever 'Admiral Daala' was, reported that the latest barrage, again, had no effect.

Olivia found herself pacing back and forth. During her pacing, she peeked into the side room to check on Peter and Victoria. The girl was still out cold, but Peter nodded reassuringly to her. Victoria was going to be fine. Olivia mechanically returned the nod, she hadn't been checking up on Victoria, she had needed to see Peter. No matter what, he always kept his calm. It gave her strength.

Turning her attention towards Max and Chloe, she noticed that Max was recovering nicely. The two girls seemed to be locked in an intense but quiet conversation, and not wanting to interrupt their privacy, Olivia made her way back to where Walter was intently listening to Hans's communications equipment.

"No effect on target. Raising volatility another ten percent." The woman's voice, presumably Admiral Daala, had grown quite frustrated. Olivia empathized with her. She hated doing nothing. She hated feeling helpless. "Wait… the storm's velocity is slowing! Unbelievable… he's actually doing it…"

* * *

"Ma'am… even with the reduced velocity... the storm will overtake his position in minutes!"

 _Damnit… there must be something else we can do?_

"What about Mag-Pulse warheads? Will those have any effect?" Her weapons officer thought hard on this for a moment before responding with an ambiguous shrug. "Bring the ion cannons volatility to maximum and prep a volley of mag-pulse warheads for airburst detonation right in the middle of that cyclone!"

 _Yet another rule about to be broken…_

It was easy enough to explain away the ion cannons, it would be next to impossible for anyone to see, let alone detect them, especially with the freak storm… The missiles though— her thoughts trailed off when she noticed that her orders weren't being followed. She would have exploded on her officers if she hadn't noticed their pale faces and grim expressions. The bravest of the crew, her weapons officer, turned to face her. At first his mouth worked clumsily without a sound, but he soon found his voice.

"The storm… ma'am, the storm rapidly increased its velocity and overtook the admiral's position. It is currently making landfall…"

 _No… he's still alive… he's always still alive!_

"Lieutenant Hans! Report!" There was a momentary pause before the man answered. As he did so, she felt her heart crumble as she detected the first trace of emotion that she had ever heard come from the enigmatic man.

"Contact lost…"

* * *

"Hans, reestablish contact now! If that's not possible… find him! I'll deploy two SAR teams to assist. Find him, do you understand?" Admiral Daala's voice exploded through the communication equipment, causing Olivia to wince.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand and will comply." Hans turned to Canderous who was already on his feet. "We are commandeering one of your vehicles." Olivia nodded slowly and motioned to Charlie to assist them.

"Go walk into the middle of a fucking tornado and drag his ass out… no fucking problem," Canderous grumbled, but he hastened up the stairs all the same. Without the constant transmissions, and with only herself, the Bishops, and the three girls left in the basement, the room felt eerily quiet, even with the raging storm outside. Suddenly, Max emerged from underneath her cocoon of blankets and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet.

"No, Chloe, this is my storm! I caused this… I caused all of this!" Stumbling for a moment, Max steadied herself against the wall and Chloe instinctively reached out for her. "I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything!" Walter looked as if he was about to speak but he held back as Max continued. "And all I really created was death and destruction!"

"Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it… and you saved me. Which had to happen, all of this did… except for what happened to Rachel. But without your power we wouldn't have found her! Okay, you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Max Caulfield… and you're amazing."

Walter again looked as if he were about to speak, but all of the air seemed to have been sucked out of the room. The two girls looked at each other uncertainty. They both seemed to be on the verge of tears and Olivia felt a certain sense of dread creeping into the back of her mind.

"Max, this is the only way…" As Chloe said this, her voice unsteady, she handed Max what seemed to be a polaroid photograph.

"I feel like I took this a thousand years ago…" Max sounded almost wistful as she looked upon the photograph she had just been handed, but her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the picture.

"You… You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture… All that would take is for me to… to—" Chloe's words broke off and she plunged her face into her hands, sobbing lightly.

"Fuck that! No… no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me." Max countered, her own voice wavering.

"I know. You proved that over and over again… even though I don't deserve it. I'm so selfish… not like my mom… look what she had to give up and live through… and she did. She deserves so much better than to be killed by a storm. Even my step… father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live… way more than me."

"Don't say that… I won't trade you!" Max's voice cracked and broke just like Olivia's heart was at the moment. There was so much passion between the two girls and she found herself siding with Max—there had to be another way. There just had to be. She looked over at Walter and felt herself pale. His face was grim, but just one look at him and she could tell that he agreed with Chloe and was waiting to get a word in.

"You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny… Look at how many times that I've almost died or actually died around you. Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay since you first saved me. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate… our fate…"

"Chloe—" Max pleaded desperately but Chloe pushed on.

"Max, you finally came back to me this week and… you did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years. Wherever I end up after this… in whatever reality… all those moments between us were real and they'll always be ours. No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."

"Chloe… I can't make this choice…" Chloe moved towards her friend and placed her hands on her shoulders. Chloe looked deep into Max's eyes, her own full of sad determination. Walter finally managed to get a word in, startling them both as he cleared his throat.

"My dear Maxine—" He began, his own voice crippled and softened with emotion. "I'm afraid that you are the only one who can make this choice… and your friend's plan has merit."

"Oh, come on, Walter… what are you saying? That just because Max saved Chloe it's thrown the universe out of whack and spawned a tornado? That doesn't make any sense," Peter growled in frustration, and Olivia found herself nodding in agreement.

"That isn't what I am saying at all… I for one do not believe in destiny or fate or any of that rubbish! What _I am_ saying is that if Max goes back in time and doesn't use her powers then maybe… perhaps… there never will be a storm. If my theories are correct about her powers unbalancing the cohesion between both universes, then this could work… but only if she doesn't use her powers to save her friend's life!" Walter's powerful voice echoed through the room, feeding Chloe's grim determination just as it filled Max with dread.

"But that doesn't make any sense either, Walter! If she uses her powers to go back in time won't that cause even more damage?" Peter shot back, glaring at his father.

"But it will be in the past—" Walter immediately cut himself off as Max threw herself into Chloe's arms and kissed her. Startled at first, Chloe hesitated but quickly recovered and fell into the moment and kissed Max back, just as feverishly. After a long moment, the two girls broke apart. Judging from their pained expressions, they were both certain that this would be their last moment together.

"I love you, Max Caulfield. Don't you forget about me." Chloe's voice broke as she struggled to hold back further tears.

Max whispered her response as she slowly drew away from her friend."Never…"

Olivia moved to stop Max, but it was already too late. Max had the picture in hand and had focused her powers on it. Olivia felt the world shift around her. She screamed as she became overwhelmed by the sensation.

* * *

 _What the fuck… not again!_

Kevin's mind reeled as he found himself back in the halls of Blackwell Academy. He had just been racing through the ravaged backroads of Arcadia Bay as the massive tornado began to devastate the town when, after a moment of disorientation, he had found someplace else. Before he could orient himself, his entire body went cold. He nearly collapsed against the nearby wall as he watched Nathan walk into the girls' bathroom once again.

 _Oh no, I'm back here? What the hell Max? Think, Kevin, think… Why would she bring us back this far? What is she thinking? Think!_

Doing his best to compose himself, Kevin's mind raced through a series of options that seemed logical to him. However, his fragile grasp on his mind shattered when he caught sight of Chloe disappearing into the bathroom. Unable to think anymore, Kevin grimly made up his mind.

 _Fuck it!_

Taking a few deep breaths, he steeled himself and marched towards the bathroom and tore open the door just as Nathan was drawing his gun on Chloe.

Nathan's eyes went wide as Kevin rushed towards him and struck Nathan in the throat with his right hand while he thrust Nathan's weapon arm away from Chloe. The gun went off the instant Kevin's blow struck home. Kevin closed on the collapsing Nathan, attacking again and again as they both fell to the ground.

Somehow, to Kevin's surprise and frustration, Nathan managed to end up on top and they struggled for dominance of the firearm. Desperately attacking and defending, the pair struck at one another. The gun went off a second time. The bullet ricocheted around the room dangerously, causing Kevin to flinch. Nathan's next blow sent Kevin's head slamming into the hard floor. Kevin's vision blurred, and he threw up his arms to ward off the next attack.

Chloe sprang into action and grabbed Nathan from behind, violently dragging Nathan off of Kevin. Her sudden intervention took Nathan completely by surprise. Taking advantage of his foe's state, Kevin leapt up with some difficulty and kicked Nathan square in the chest just as he was untangling himself from Chloe. Nathan was sent flying out of the bathroom, gun somehow still in hand. As Nathan collapsed to the floor, a third shot sprang forth from the weapon. Even though the gun hadn't been pointed anywhere near them, both Kevin and Chloe reflexively took cover.

"Drop the gun! Drop it!"

Nathan's face went pale as David Madsen stormed towards him, his own weapon in hand, trained right on Nathan. Instantly relenting, Nathan dropped his weapon and raised his hands in surrender. This did not save him from being brutally tackled by Blackwell's head of security. Chloe cheered as she watched her step-father quickly and efficiently handcuff Nathan. David froze in mid motion when he suddenly realized exactly who Nathan had been threatening.

"You tried to shoot my daughter? You little punk!" Somehow, David managed to restrain himself from kicking Nathan and he stood there for a moment, fuming in fury.

Chloe froze herself as she watched her hated stepfather show such concern for her. Kevin would have sat there enjoying the moment if he hadn't been immediately concerned for someone else. Around the corner, where Max had to be hiding, a small trail of blood was forming.

Kevin struggled to his feet, again with more difficulty than he expected, and raced around the corner. He nearly fell over as he caught sight of Max. Pale, gasping in pain, she clutched her bloodied stomach.

 _No, no, no!_

"Max… Max!" Kevin gasped, his brain frozen in terror.

She barely seemed to hear him. Max looked up and removed her bloodied hands from the wound. Slowly and deliberately, she looked down at her hands and then to the wound in her abdomen. She coughed, tremors seized her frail form as a stream of thick, red blood oozed out of the gaping wound.

"Max! Keep pressure on it… there like that, don't let go okay, just keep pressure on it, okay!" In a frenzy of movement, Kevin snatched Max off of the ground and began to make his way out of the bathroom. Chloe turned to see what was going on, her face went white with terror.

"Max? What the shit? She's been shot!" Chloe flung herself around and called out to her step-father. "David, call an ambulance! Max is fucking shot!"

Kevin forced his way out of the bathroom and struggled towards the school's exit. The halls were mostly clear, but several of his peers looked on in panic at the sight of him struggling to carry Max. None of them moved to help.

 _Why is this so hard?_

Kevin did his best to increase his pace as the doors drew nearer.

 _I just have to get her outside…_

All at once, Chloe was beside him helping him carry Max. Kevin felt relief flood through him, but his relief quickly turned to dread.

"Dude, you've been shot. Give her to me! You can barely walk!"

Numbly, Kevin allowed Max to be extracted from his arms and he looked down and discovered the reason why he was having such difficulty walking. His right leg was stained red with blood. He stood there, gaping, as he watched a fresh stream of blood spill out of a nasty wound on his thigh.

"Shit…" he would have collapsed and fallen to the ground if someone hadn't grabbed him and shouted for help. Several people crowded around him and carried him outside where he was quickly and almost reverently laid down on the grass. Closing his eyes to shield them from the bright light of the sun, Kevin tried to think.

"Put pressure on his leg!" That voice, he recognized it but he couldn't quite place it.

Slowly opening his eyes, Kevin was momentarily blinded by the sun's glare. His vision immediately focused as someone put a great deal of pressure on his thigh and he found himself screaming in pain, nearly biting off his own tongue as he tried to suppress his cries.

"It's okay, you're going to be fine… you're going to be fine." Someone else took his hand in two of theirs and squeezed it. Someone moved closer, the light from the sun was finally blocked out. David Madsen was tending to his wound but someone else was looming over him, someone familiar. Enshrined in light, the figure drew close.

Kevin smiled.

 _Kate…_

Her hands were sticky with blood. His blood. Kevin noticed in horror that his blood had ended up all over her.

 _Was she the one that grabbed me? How'd so much of my blood get on her?_

She seemed oddly lacking clothing. Were all of the garments that David was pressing against his thigh hers? Kevin tried to smile. A dreadful look of horror plagued Kate's face. He must have done something completely different.

"Where the hell is that second ambulance?" David bellowed as Kevin's thoughts raced.

 _I guess that means the first one already got Max?_

 _That was fast._

 _How long have I been laying here?_

 _Fuck this hurts._

 _Kate looks really pretty…_

His thoughts swirled about his head and he tried once again to smile as Kate gripped his hands tighter. His strength was failing. Kate was moving farther away. Kevin found it increasingly difficult to think. The sun was bright and hot, but the world was dark and cold.

"I will take the boy," a strange, almost harmonic voice stated as another figure came into view. It was hard to see, but the new figure was dark and wore a funny hat. Kevin heard Kate scream something. Kevin felt heavy, then light, then nothing at all as the darkness swallowed him whole.

* * *

Kevin awoke with a start, desperately trying to make sense of his surroundings.

 _A hospital? Why am I in a hospital?_

The answer to his question immediately became _clear_ when he tried to move his legs. Gasping, he winced from the pain. Slowly, with clenched teeth, he moved his right leg back into the position that it had been in.

"Kevin! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't try to move!" Exhaling heavily once he had his leg back into its original position, he turned towards the voice and froze.

 _Kate!_

Blinking in confusion, Kevin looked around the spacious room. An array of bright and colorful balloons, cards, and stuffed animals were scattered about, but he saw no one else. He and Kate were alone.

"I'm sorry… but that honestly feels like the first time—" His voice was raspy, his throat was dry and constrained. He soon realized in horror that his left arm had an IV sticking out of it. His stomach turned over on itself. Feeling dizzy, Kevin plunged his heavy head back into his soft pillows. A thick silence cast its shadow on the room as Kevin closed his eyes, willing the room to stop spinning.

"No, I'm sorry. The other times you were so out of it that I guess you don't remember. The nurses said you might not." Kate's soft, musical voice brought the world back into focus. Kevin focused on the sound of her words, letting them wash over him. Slowly, he opened his eyes once more. Locking his eyes onto hers, the world became a much more tolerable place. A weak, tired smile struggled onto his face.

She smiled back at him reassuringly. She discarded a thick book and retrieved a cup of ice-water from the table next to his bed. Slowly, and with practiced care, she helped him drink some of the cool, refreshing liquid.

This wasn't her first time doing this, Kevin felt entirely certain of this fact. Kate withdrew the cup when he had drunk his fill, immediately catching the cues that he hadn't noticed sending. Returning the plastic glass to his bedside table, she smiled politely as if she hadn't done anything of note.

Kevin exhaled slowly, willing his brain to think. It was hard, but his memories slowly returned. It took time, but eventually the thick cloud of fog lifted from his mind. Kate snatched his hand with both of hers just as panic seized his heart.

"It's alright! Max is fine… she's fine." Kate's words banished his anxieties. A chill set in, however, when she continued to speak, her voice low. Eyes downcast, Kate's soft hands tightened around his. "The doctors were more worried about you honestly… you lost a lot of blood—"

"I'm sorry…" Kevin fumbled with his words. Kate's hands were warm, his free hand longed to join its companion. Kate immediately recovered and shook her head furiously.

"Don't be sorry! You're the big hero! It's too bad you won't be making it to the party tomorrow, everyone is really looking forward to you coming back to school!"

 _Party? Tomorrow… is tomorrow... Friday?_

"Is it Thursday? Have I been out that long?" Kate nodded but smiled warmly at him.

 _I was out for three days?_

"You've been up a few times... but the nurses told me that you were so out of it that you wouldn't remember." Kate's voice trailed off, a hint of color touched her face. Kevin's confusion solidified into certainty as the puzzle pieces snapped together.

"You've been here… everyday, haven't you?" Kate's face reddened slightly as she nodded and then flushed a fiercer shade of red when she noticed him blushing as well. She quickly composed herself and changed the subject.

"A whole bunch of people have stopped into see you though… Warren, Max's friend Chloe, Daniel, Alyssa, Victoria even came by… and a couple people that I didn't know… I think they were police... or something."

Her words trailed off, and she softly bit her lower lip as she thought back, as if trying to remember. Kevin resisted the urge to press her for more information and let her think.

"A man and a woman who said they were friends of yours came in. The woman was pretty but didn't smile very much—" _That sounds like Olivia… and either Peter or Charlie since she didn't say words like weird or strange._ "Two other men came in as well a few days ago. They seemed… rough but didn't stay long when they saw that I was here. Do you know them?"

She proceeded to describe the men and mentioned that one of them had been wearing sunglasses, confirming Kevin's suspicions that the 'rough' men had indeed been his duplicate's men keeping tabs on him. He shrugged in response to her question, responding that they had probably been police.

The mysteries solved, Kate's warm smile returned. It was at that moment that Kevin took notice of the violin case at Kate's feet. A soothing melody swam into his consciousness, briefly tickling his ears. Kevin smiled, a real, full smile this time as a comforting thought wormed its way into his mind.

"You were playing your violin for me while I was… sleeping, weren't you?"

Kate nodded shyly, smiling nervously.

"I… used your phone to call your parents just in case no one else had… They should both be here tomorrow actually… but while I was on your phone, I accidentally found your music and saw that you listened to Lindsey Stirling… so I thought—" The temperature in the room spiked. "I thought that it would help to hear some music while you slept… the nurses encouraged it too!" Kate was practically defending herself, but when she caught a glimpse of Kevin's face she relaxed and blushed.

"I think I remember hearing you play… even though I probably wasn't completely awake yet… I've felt like I've had this amazing melody stuck in my head ever since I woke up. I'm betting that I have you to thank for that, eh?"

Kate smiled and became significantly less self-conscious. She seemed as if she were about to say something, but her eyes focused on something for a moment and her eyes went wide in shock.

"Oh no! Is that the time? I'm going to be late for class at this rate… thank goodness it's Mrs. Grant's class. She knows I come here... so when I'm late she'll at least not be too mad—"

"Well, if that's the case, you might as well just skip the class and stay here." Kevin knew that this wouldn't happen, knew that she wouldn't stay. He had to try though, he didn't want to see her go. She smiled at his words as she packed up her things and looked as if his suggestion had tempted her, but he knew better.

"I'm not quite a rebel like your pal Chloe, but I'll stop over tomorrow… if you'd like?" Kevin nodded eagerly and told her that she was more than welcome to stop by whenever she liked, gesturing to show that he probably wasn't going anywhere, not for a long time at least.

Smiling politely, Kate excused herself and hurried off. Kevin regarded his now empty room with disdain and immediately felt the absence of Kate's presence. However, he wasn't alone for very long when an all too familiar figure slowly entered his room.

"I thought she'd never leave… hello, Kevin." His scarred duplicate slowly entered and stopped in the middle of the room. The boy regarded his clone in an almost friendly manner.

"Hello yourself." Kevin groaned sarcastically. The dry humor was certainly not lost on his duplicate.

"Indeed?" A smile, entirely genuine, crossed the boy's face as scanned the room. "How's the leg?" Kevin grimaced. It was all he could do not to reflexively move his leg as he cast his gaze at his heavily bandaged thigh.

"It hurts..." Kevin stated, exhaling slowly. His duplicate's face turned serious.

"That's what happens when you get shot. You're extremely lucky that you didn't bleed out. According to your charts, you barely made it. The bullet went right through your femoral artery. Again, luckily, it didn't do too much damage. You better take greater care, you are far less useful to me lame."

 _Now what do you mean by that?_

"Is that so?" Kevin managed to say and tried to push himself up into a sitting position He immediately regretted his decision. His duplicate watched as Kevin grunted in pain. The boy's scarred face softened somewhat, but remained frustratingly unreadable.

"Here's the thing, and you don't have to answer right now, obviously, but it is somewhat time sensitive—" The boy turned as if to leave, but as he reached the door, he turned around and leaned against the side of the doorframe, his face serious. "I'm setting myself up as a sort of protector to this planet. We may not be identical, but we are distressingly similar. Like it or not, we are one in the same, just with slightly different packaging. Now, our rather unique situation puts us into a very exceptional position, one that I am very interested in… making use of. I could use your assistance and given the proper training… you might even be able to… become me. "

"What exactly does that mean, 'become you'?" Kevin asked hesitantly.

"You will only discover the truth behind that question should you accept, but the choice is yours, of course. I certainly do envy you… because of who you are... you probably won't be able to have a normal life. But you have a chance at it, a chance that I never had."

Kevin nodded gravely.

He wished that he understood his duplicate more. Every time that they met, a clearer picture was painted, but it was still disappointingly unfinished.

"I'll check on you again once you've recovered, hopefully you'll have an answer by then, if not… Well, if you can't decide by then… then you can't decide."

Before Kevin could get another word out, his duplicate stepped out of the room and vanished around the corner. A nurse with a doctor in tow entered into the room seconds later. Neither seemed at all worried that a boy nearly identical to him had just walked out of his room.

* * *

"Dude, you're awake!" Chloe barged into Kevin's room and bounded towards his bed.

 _I mean… I am now… god damn, girl. Don't you know how to knock_?

Kevin limited his displeasure to his thoughts as he shook off the lingering effects of his nap.

"Max is going to be super stoked that you're finally up." Chloe threw herself into the chair where Kate had spent the past few days watching over him, and he wondered how many times Chloe had come to check on him since Kate had specifically mentioned her stopping by.

"So, dude… while we're alone I need to shoot straight with you." Chloe turned around and made sure no one else was lingering by the doorway. "Mad respect for stepping in with Nathan and everything… like seriously, that was so badass… and then you tried to carry Max outside even though you were bleeding all over the place, hella' badass. But I need you to answer a question for me, and I need you to be honest, alright?"

Kevin nodded and waited patiently as Chloe turned around again to make sure no one had crept into the room while she wasn't looking.

"You're not like crushing on Max or anything? She says that you two are 'just friends' but I want to hear it from you, straight." Chloe's face was serious and riddled with anxiety. The mounting tension in the room would have bothered Kevin if he wasn't struggling to keep his emotions under control. It was all he could do to keep from laughing, though a sly smile snuck through as he responded to her desperate query.

"Chloe… Max and I are just friends. Seriously… she's all yours."

Chloe, shocked at his words, stood up immediately and seemed as if she were about to rage at him, but she calmed down after a few moments and cracked a smile of her own.

"Am I _that_ obvious?"

Kevin shook his head before answering and leaned his head back with a soft sigh. "No… but your jealous side is kind of adorable… Max really likes you by the way… just in case you don't know—"

"Oh, I know… speaking of… I'm going to head back to her… She's going to come visit as soon they let her roll around in a wheelchair… We're just down the hall so I'll catch you later." And just as suddenly as she had entered, Chloe left his room. Once again, he was alone, desperately wishing he had someone to talk to.

He had barely gotten used to the emptiness of his room when a genuinely happy looking Olivia walked in.

"Well done." Her greeting confused him for a moment but he then remembered he was supposed to be some big hero or something so it made a little more sense.

Her expression changed however upon seeing his muted reaction. Her smile, however, only increased dramatically after a few moments of hesitation.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Kevin shook his head slowly and she nodded towards his window. "Notice any snow… strange eclipses or two moons in the sky? Has anyone been talking about dead birds or dead whales washing up—"

Kevin felt his mouth open in shock, he had completely forgotten about all of that.

"You mean… none of that has happened?" Still smiling, Olivia shook her head and sat down in the chair next to his bed, giving him an incredulous stare.

"I can't believe you would forget about all of that… but I guess it's understandable considering. But wait, there's more…" Kevin rolled his eyes. He nonetheless waited with anticipation for Olivia's next words. Her mood was infectious, and he felt his spirits rising even before she began to speak. "Due to your unexpected intervention, Nathan Prescott got arrested, of course, and he sold out Mark Jefferson faster than you would believe. He even told us where they buried Rachel Amber. Chloe hasn't been told yet… the information hasn't gone public quite yet. We're just now exhuming her body."

A sad look crossed Olivia's face as she turned in the direction of Max's room. Chloe was no doubt still there. Kevin knew that his own expression turned grim as he thought back to Chloe's reaction upon discovering her missing friend. A sudden realization cheered his mood though and he returned his gaze to Olivia.

"Kate… never tried to commit suicide… because Nathan and Jefferson were already hauled off." Nodding, Olivia finished his train of thought for him

"Nathan also gave up Jefferson's creepy lair and the police found all of the photographs of Jefferson's victims… including Kate's so her nightmare was given solid closure and I'm sure she received less flak about it… or at least was able to resist it better." A great feeling of satisfaction began to explode within his chest. It must have shown because Olivia's smile returned and she laid an affectionate hand on his shoulder.

"That's more like it, nothing like a good door kicking to ruin everyone's plans and foil the bad-guys all at once."

"What… do you mean by that, Agent Dunham?" Olivia's own expression drew as grim as his own and she told him of how, after he had left to see to Kate's safety, things had gone from bad to worse.

Kevin's duplicate ran off to combat the storm using his powers... and failed, quite possibly perishing in the attempt. The boy's forces, whoever they were, met with similar lack of success in their own efforts. Olivia's voice hardened, her smile now a distant memory as she described the events that followed.

Kevin's heart broke when she told him how Chloe had asked Max to sacrifice her so everyone else could live. Seeing no other option, and pressed by Walter, Max had set off to do just that. The last thing that Olivia remembered was a determined, yet broken-hearted looking Max jumping back in time.

Kevin didn't know what to say after that, he didn't even know what to think for several moments.

 _Well… I guess that explains why Max wants to see me so badly. I fucked up her plans, in the best way possible._

"Yay me…" Kevin managed, feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted after listening to Olivia's tale.

"Like I said: 'Well done,' but if you feel as exhausted as you look I should probably let you get some rest… Don't worry, I'll check back in before we head back to the east coast."

"I'm surprised that you guys are still here. Aren't there any other super crazy, top-secret, out of this world threats that need dealing with?" Olivia smiled as she stood and turned to leave.

"Not yet, and so long as everything plays out the same, there won't be any tomorrow either so I get to spend tomorrow exploring Oregon with Charlie's niece while he fishes… or something. Get some rest, we'll talk later."

"Wait… Agent Dunham. That observer of yours… he drove me to the hospital, didn't he?" Olivia's smile waned slightly as she nodded. "Did he say anything to anyone?" She took a moment before responding, as if she were trying to think of anything that she may have overlooked.

"When he dropped you off, he was asked who he was in relation to you and he allegedly responded that he was 'a concerned third party.'"

 _That sounds like something he would say… ominous._

Olivia must have noticed the dark look looming on his face, because she did her best to smile, that awkward fake smile that he was familiar with.

"Don't worry too much about it, that's my job." Once Olivia had left, Kevin did his best to sleep. He felt more worn out than he had, but sleep did not come easily.

Looking around his room, he tried to distract his mind with the well wishes and other items that had been left by his peers, at least the ones that were within his reach at any rate. Luckily, with a little stretching and patience, he managed to grab a hold of a book that Alyssa had left for him, and within moments of opening it, he fell asleep.

* * *

Kevin's parents arrived the next morning, and, for the first time in years, they seemed to be able to stand being in the same room as one another. They did, however, remain as far apart from one another as the room would allow, as often as they could. The lukewarm reunion quickly soured though as his mother's worries and his father's criticalness began to clash.

His father fired first and quickly demanded to know why he had put himself in such a situation in the first place. The insinuation that everything was entirely his fault was impossible to miss. Even though these sentiments probably somewhat mirrored his mother's worries about his safety, she nonetheless rose to her son's defense and insisted that his father was being far too critical. The situation deteriorated from there.

Max and Chloe showed up to save the day.

Max, looking pale and somewhat pained wore a determined expression as she allowed Chloe to maneuver her wheelchair into the room. The two girls did their best to seem surprised that Kevin's parents were in the room. Max introduced herself, as did Chloe, and his mother warmly welcomed Max and Chloe, while his father silently judged them from afar.

After the introductions had been made, his father ascertained that Max and Chloe had been involved in the situation that had hospitalized his son. Nodding, Max boldly declared that Kevin's actions had most certainly saved their lives and Chloe quickly picked up where her friend had left off.

Full of embellishments, Chloe described how Kevin had heroically saved the day. His parents were dramatically affected as Chloe's tale went into explicit detail, especially when she vividly described how he had selflessly cared for Max despite his own grievous wound. She then proceeded to explain, quite unnecessarily, how Kevin's actions had uncovered a sinister kidnapping plot that had been going on at Blackwell and dazzled them with even more horrific details.

During Chloe's extravagant and sometimes almost completely fabricated tale, Kevin couldn't help himself from smiling ear to ear. The girls had obviously been eavesdropping on his parents' argument. Max must have demanded that they intervene. Chloe, willing to do anything for Max, and apparently a master storyteller, was talking Kevin up so much, he almost didn't recognize himself.

Once Chloe was finally done mesmerizing his parents with her grand tale, the situation calmed down significantly. After what felt like hours of small talk and questions from both parties, Kevin shooed his parents away, claiming to be tired. It wasn't a lie either. He had barely been awake for a few hours and he already felt exhausted. He could tell that Max wanted to speak with him, and from the look of her weak state, he didn't want to keep her waiting for much longer.

Once his parents had left, intentionally heading down the hallway in separate directions, the trio collectively sighed with relief.

"No wonder you decided to go to school super far away from home… they really hate each other…" Chloe grumbled, not really caring if either of his parents heard her.

"That was the first time they've been in the same room for several years, so it was bound to happen. But yeah, I had the choice to live with either of them… either way, no matter which I chose, the other would have disowned me, so I chose neither. Thanks for rescuing me, by the way, that was probably about get so much worse…"

"Don't you dare thank me for saving you… you…you have no idea. No idea how thankful I am for what you did…" Max's soft voice trailed off and her eyes looked at him, almost pleading for him to understand what she was trying to say. Luckily for Max, and thanks to Oliva, he did understand.

"I know, Max… I know." His words were so infused with emotion that he was able to communicate to her that he had been made aware of her plans. Max smiled with obvious relief.

Chloe, although she looked momentarily taken aback by the powerful exchange between them, was none the wiser. Only Max, Olivia, Kevin and his duplicate had memories of what had happened before and it seemed that Max was all too happy to keep it that way. She and Chloe had a fresh start. And from the way the pair looked at one another, and the way Chloe hovered worriedly around her friend, it definitely seemed as if their path was already leading in the same direction. Perhaps it was indeed destiny?

Max and Chloe didn't stay long due to Max's quickly deteriorating energy and her increasingly obvious discomfort. Once again, Kevin was alone in his room. His thoughts turned to Kate and his own destiny and he began to wonder if it had been his heroics which had brought her back to him or the strands of fate. Either way, he was pleased and didn't think much more on the matter. He soon began to ponder his duplicate's mysterious offer.

 _A normal life? How the hell am I ever going to have a normal life after everything that has happened?_

He certainly couldn't see himself 'settling down' back into whatever his life had been before he had met Max, but then again, that did sound nice… especially if Kate was there too.

* * *

Olivia had always wondered why Charlie kept a vacation home out in the seemingly 'middle-of-nowhere' Oregon. He was a career man and poured every ounce of his energy into his job and he loved the city that he had served and protected for many years of his life. But, as she followed his niece through the forests of Arcadia Bay, breathing in the fresh, salty air, she felt the magic of the moment bleed into her soul.

It was perfect out here, and with every step her worries of their latest assignment were replaced bit by bit with peace. Charlie's niece loved the outdoors and her free spirit was at home in the wilderness as they walked along in silence. She was glad that she had no memory of the events that had previously unfolded, even though she had taken everything in stride. Her high levels of maturity were indeed showing. However, in the end, this would be better for her in the long run.

Of course, Olivia had to re-explain everything to Charlie, Peter, and Walter. Thankfully, Kevin's actions had so tidily wrapped everything up in such a convenient manner. Olivia's report on the case was going to be much simpler now. No need to go into time traveling, alternate universes, or town-destroying apocalyptic tornadoes.

It was better this way. Max certainly didn't need any more attention from the world. If a report concerning her abilities ever made it into the wrong hands… Olivia shook her head, that would never happen. Curiously, Max had reported that her abilities had vanished anyway, mysteriously dissipating just as suddenly as they had manifested.

Max did admit that she was far too terrified to attempt to see if her sudden feelings were valid, but she felt certain that her powers were gone. Max had seemed momentarily saddened as she had spoken about this, but once Chloe had come back into the room her lasting feelings were obvious. She had Chloe and that was what mattered most. She was all too happy to trade her powers so that her friend could be once again by her side.

It had taken some convincing, but without revealing too much to Broyles, Olivia managed to convince him that a small amount of resources should be allocated to keep an eye on both Max and Kevin. Not that they needed watchful eyes on them, she had a feeling that Kevin's mysterious duplicate and the observer would be watching them as well. Slowly coming out of her thoughts, she watched as Charlie's niece bounded happily onto one of the many wooden bridges that criss crossed over the many streams that broke up the heavily forested park that they were exploring. Kimberly stopped in the middle of the small bridge and turned to gaze down at the clear water underneath her. Smiling, Olivia moved to join her, but something behind her caused her to look casually over her shoulder.

Reflexively, she went for her sidearm, but she froze in mid-motion when she recognized the figure that had seemingly materialized a few feet behind her.

"Beautiful day for a walk, Agent Dunham." Frozen in place, she hesitated a moment before answering as the boy who claimed that Max's friend Kevin was 'just a clone' smiled back at her. His gaze shifted towards Kimberly for a brief moment, his smile became less mocking and more genuine.

Olivia resisted the urge to turn towards Kimberly and forced herself to relax. Slowly, she moved her hand away from her sidearm and the deliberate movement brought Kevin's attention back to her.

"I didn't mean to startle you… Well, that's not entirely true, but I certainly mean you no harm. I just thought it would be nice to talk for a moment before—" His voice trailed off and he cast a quick glance over her shoulder and this time she did turn. Kimberly had turned towards them and was casually, but deliberately, making her way towards them, obviously curious about Kevin's sudden appearance.

"Before what?" Olivia asked hastily, knowing that she had only moments to privately talk with the boy.

"Before I leave… but don't worry I won't be going far." The boy seemed just as concerned about the slowly approaching Kimberly, but he also held a certain amount of anticipation in his eyes, as if he couldn't have been happier about the current state of affairs. He continued speaking in a hurried manner. "I'll be keeping watch of things. The details are still being worked out, but I want you to know that my… people and I aren't going to be doing anything to interfere with the established order here. I also intend to do what I can to… make sure that the right things happen and that the wrong things don't. This, as you will no doubt come to see… will be fantastic for you and your very interesting team. You can most certainly consider me an ally, even if you don't trust me, which I don't blame you for."

With those words out of his mouth, his expression changed completely and his face lit up as Kimberly approached and he bowed slightly as he greeted her. Pleasantries were extended by both parties and Kevin did an impeccable job of pretending to be just another forgettable person, the type that you run into every day. However, from the look on Kimberly's face, it certainly appeared that she wouldn't be forgetting him all too quickly. Clearly noticing this as well, Kevin expertly snuck in a few compliments towards her and seemed to relish Olivia's disapproving glare almost as much as Kimberly's more than positive reception to his charms.

 _This boy might look exactly like the other Kevin, but he is certainly a different person entirely._ Luckily, just as Olivia was about to do her best to interrupt the conversation, Kevin said his goodbye's and wished them both a 'pleasant day'. With one last sly look at Kimberly, he turned and casually walked off in the opposite direction that she and Charlie's niece had been heading without a second glance.

Kimberly noticed Olivia's lingering gaze on her and she received a quick glare for her disapproving look. Without a second glance at Kevin, as if the meeting hadn't mattered to her at all, Kimberly turned around and bounded off towards the bridge, smiling once more beckoning for Olivia to follow.

Shaking her head, Olivia's own smile returned as she recalled Kevin's words. She wanted to know more about him and 'his people' but it seemed that those answers wouldn't come to her at this very moment. She was determined to discover who he was and where he had come from, however, she was determined to enjoy her day off even more.


End file.
